Lefty Langston & Racers Too Much For EIU

Thursday, January 21

CFSB Center

7 p.m.

Murray State

9-10 (3-3OVC)

Eastern Illinois

6-13 (3-4OVC)

Eastern Illinois

Murray State

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

1/21/2016 9:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Murray State Racers used one of their best defensive performances of the season Thursday in a 68-58 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.

The Racers held the Panthers to 32 percent from the field on 17-of-54 shots to improve to 3-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 9-10 overall.

The opposition had no answer for Wayne Langston as the big lefty went to work on EIU for a career-high 24 points. Langston hit 10-of-14 shots and made 4-of-7 from the line to go with seven rebounds and a pair of assists.

Jeffery Moss and Gee McGhee added 10 points each to help the Racers attack to a 45 percent night on 25-of-55 shots. MSU was 6-of-15 from the 3-point line, with McGhee hitting three.

Every one of the Racers' eight players that saw court time grabbed at least two rebounds as the Racers won the battle of the glass 40-34. McGhee pulled down eight.

In the first half, the Racers broke open a close game with an 11-1 run to lead 32-16 at the 6:27 mark. Langston was a force with 16 points on 6-of-9 shots. The Racers pushed their lead to 42-21 on a pair of free throws from Moss with 2:12 left. However, EIU went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 42-29 at intermission.

EIU pushed its run to 13-0 spanning the halftime and got as close as eight points with 18:33 remaining at 42-34.

The Racers quickly got the lead back into the teens when A.J. Patty hit a pair of layups for a 57-43 lead at the 12:09 mark. When Langston scored his 23^rd and 24^th points on a tip-in with 2:41, the Racers were on their way to squaring their OVC mark at 3-3.

MSU hosts SIUE at home Saturday in a doubleheader day at the CFSB Center. The women's contest tips at 5 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 7 p.m.

Game Notes
Because of the impending arrival of winter storm Jonas, the game was moved up tonight from a 7 p.m. tip to 6 p.m. Murray State has closed its campus and called off classes for Friday, Jan. 22.

The Racers are now 7-3 at home this season in the CFSB Center. MSU is 218-37 (.854) all-time in the arena and 128-23 (.847) against OVC opponents.

Langston's career-high 10 field goals surpassed the eight that he made at Illinois State (Dec. 13). His 24 points is also a new career-high following the 19 points he had against Brescia (Dec. 30).

Bryce Jones had six rebounds tonight giving him six games this season of 5 or more.

Murray State played eight players tonight and all of them grabbed at least two rebounds.

Today was MSU freshman Brion Sanchious' birthday as well as former Racer Jarvis Williams who is playing professionally in Poland.

The Racers now lead the series with EIU 42-9 and have won five straight. At the CFSB Center, MSU is now 25-2 and have won the last five.

The Racers are mighty happy to have Kedrick Flomo, 19, back on campus. On Nov. 3, he underwent emergency heart surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Doctors expect Flomo to make a full recovery, but he will not play in the 2015-16 season. The Racer guard was released from the hospital (Nov. 7) and went home to be with his family in Winston-Salem, N.C. The good news is Flomo is back on campus at Murray State and is taking classes in the spring semester.