Late Lead Fades For Racers At Georgia

Friday, November 20

Athens, Ga.

6 p.m.

Murray State

2-1

Georgia

1-1

Murray St.

Georgia

Photo by: Dale Zanine-University of Georgia Athletics

11/20/2015 5:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score PDF

The Murray State Racers had a late lead slip away in a 63-52 defeat against the Georgia Bulldogs Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.

Trailing by eight points with 9:10 left, the Racers made a 14-4 run and took a 50-48 lead with 4:11 left on Bryce Jones' three-point play. However a pair of 3-pointers from UGA's Kenny Gaines put the Racers down 54-50 with 2:54 left. After Jones scored on a drive, Gaines hit another long range shot to put MSU down 57-52 with 2:15 left.

Jones, Chad Culbreath and Damarcus Croaker led the Racers in scoring with 11 points each. Jones added a team-leading seven rebounds and three assists.

On a night when making shots came at a premium, the Racers stayed in the game by holding the home standing Bulldogs to 30 percent shooting on 17-of-57 shots, but MSU was 17-of-56 and couldn't the shots to fall in the final minutes.

In the first half, the Racers trailed 19-9 at the 7:16 mark, but rallied to take a 27-26 lead with 58 seconds on a pair of free throws from Jones. Culbreath had a lot to do with the Racers' 18-7 run. The freshman came off the bench and hit 3-of-4 shots including a pair of 3-pointers for nine points.

A late UGA 3-pointer was the only thing that kept the Racers from leading at the half as the Bulldogs inched in front 29-27.

The Racers begin play Monday in Estero, Florida at the Gulf Coast Showcase. MSU meets Milwaukee at 11 a.m. Central Time at Germain Arena.

Game Notes

The loss for the Racers snaps a lengthy 11-game road win streak that started after MSU lost at Xavier on Nov. 24, 2015.

With three points at Georgia, MSU senior Jeffery Moss had 996 career points and will soon become the 43^rd member of the MSU 1000-Point Club.

The Racers were facing UGA for only the second time. Their first meeting was in 2002 at the NCAA Tournament in Chicago.

The Racers are now 12-31 all-time against teams from the Southeastern Conference. MSU's last win was in the 2012 Charleston Classic with MSU beat Auburn 79-59.

The Racers have played Mississippi State seven times for their most against an SEC team, but have never met Florida, Kentucky, LSU and South Carolina.

MSU plays three games in three days starting Monday at the Gulf Coast Showcase. After meeting Milwaukee Monday, the Racers will face either Duquesne or Pepperdine on Tuesday.