Murray State University Athletics

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Racers Produce Great First Half - But Fall At Tennessee
11/12/2019 11:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers held the lead until 10:44 remaining before falling to the Tennessee Volunteers 82-63 Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
The Racers (1-1) got 17 points and six assists from Tevin Brown, while Jaiveon Eaves scored 13 points and KJ Williams added 10 points. Anthony Smith grabbed seven rebounds.
Leading 44-35 at the half, the Racers held the lead until the 10:36 mark. In the final 10-plus minutes of the game, MSU just went cold and hit only 4-of-14 from the field. The Vols got hot and outscored the Racers 23-4 to the finish.
The optimism Murray State enjoyed in the first half was well earned, as MSU hit 15-of-30 from the field for 50 percent and hit 57 percent from the 3-point line on 8-of-14.
DaQuan Smith's 3-pointer with 10:50 in the first half gave the Racers an 8-0 run for a 18-13 lead. The Racers went ahead by 10 points on Smith's layup with 4:10 to go. MSU's largest lead of the day came with 1:58 in the half when Eaves scored for a 12-point lead.
The Racers held their own on the boards and trailed UT only 35-34 in the rebound stat. For the game, the Racers shot 41 percent from the field on 23-of-56, while the Vols shot 50 percent on 29-of-58.
Murray State is back at home in the CFSB Center for a 7:30 p.m. game with Brescia.

Game Notes
Saturday's game will see the 2019 class of the Murray State Hall of Fame honored at halftime. The class consists of Coach Connie Keasling (1984-87, 1992-11) of women's tennis, football's Rob Hart (1995-99) and Austin Lane (2006-09), Stevon Roberts (1990-93) and Siebert Straughn (1989-02) of men's track & field. MSU women's track & field sprinter Alexis Love (2009-13) is also part of the 2019 class along with De'Teri Mayes (1996-98) of men's basketball, Morgan Hicks (2001-04) of rifle and women's track & field and basketball pioneer Pat Ward-Seib (1967-71).
The 37th class to the MSU Hall of Fame has a men's basketball presence in De'Teri Mayes. Known as one of the top two-year players to ever suit up for the Racers, Mayes' career at Murray State last 63 games, but produced 1,340 points, more than half way to the all-time scoring mark of Jeff Martin's 2,484. Mayes' mark stood for 20 seasons as the top two-year scoring mark in MSU history, until Jonathan Stark (2016-18) scored 1,408 points.
RACER BASKETBALL RIVALRY TICKET PACKAGE – LIMITED TIME ONLY
Murray State Athletics announced a special offer for Racer fans with a rivalry ticket package which includes some of the biggest games the Racers' men's team will play in the 2019-20 season. For a limited time, tickets to the men's rivalry games with Southern Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Belmont and Austin Peay can be purchased in a general admission ticket for only $44 for four men's and three women's games. Ticket purchases can be made by calling the CFSB Center at 270-809-3000, in person, or online at ticketmaster.com.
The rivalry ticket package includes these games at the CFSB Center in Murray.
• Nov. 19 (M) Southern Illinois 7p
• Dec. 7 (W) Lipscomb 5p, (M) Middle Tennessee 7p
• Jan. 23 Belmont (W) 3p & (M) 6p
• Feb. 29 Austin Peay (W) 5p & (M) 7p
GLOBETROTTERS VISIT CFSB CENTER - JAN. 15
After wowing fans inside the CFSB Center in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2017 and 2019, the worldwide sensation Harlem Globetrotters have announced they will return to Murray State University for a seventh time on Jan. 15, 2020. Tickets can be purchased starting ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Guests may also visit the CFSB Center ticket office, located at 1401 State Route 121 North, Murray, Ky 42071 (Lower A Entrance) or by calling 260-809-3000.
The Racers (1-1) got 17 points and six assists from Tevin Brown, while Jaiveon Eaves scored 13 points and KJ Williams added 10 points. Anthony Smith grabbed seven rebounds.
Leading 44-35 at the half, the Racers held the lead until the 10:36 mark. In the final 10-plus minutes of the game, MSU just went cold and hit only 4-of-14 from the field. The Vols got hot and outscored the Racers 23-4 to the finish.
The optimism Murray State enjoyed in the first half was well earned, as MSU hit 15-of-30 from the field for 50 percent and hit 57 percent from the 3-point line on 8-of-14.
DaQuan Smith's 3-pointer with 10:50 in the first half gave the Racers an 8-0 run for a 18-13 lead. The Racers went ahead by 10 points on Smith's layup with 4:10 to go. MSU's largest lead of the day came with 1:58 in the half when Eaves scored for a 12-point lead.
The Racers held their own on the boards and trailed UT only 35-34 in the rebound stat. For the game, the Racers shot 41 percent from the field on 23-of-56, while the Vols shot 50 percent on 29-of-58.
Murray State is back at home in the CFSB Center for a 7:30 p.m. game with Brescia.

Game Notes
- The Racers are 0-4 all-time against Tennessee.
- MSU's last win over a team from the SEC remains their 79-59 win over Auburn at the Charleston Classic.
- This game at UT marked the fifth-straight year that the Racers have played an SEC team. Recent games include games with Georgia (2015), Ole Miss (2016) and Auburn (2017 & 2018).
- Tevin Brown hit 5-of-10 from the 3-point line tonight. He's 7-of-16 in the first two games of the season.
- KJ Williams continues to shoot at a high percentage in the paint. He was 4-of-6 tonight and is 10-of-14 in the first two games of the season. Two of his made shots tonight were 3-point baskets.
Saturday's game will see the 2019 class of the Murray State Hall of Fame honored at halftime. The class consists of Coach Connie Keasling (1984-87, 1992-11) of women's tennis, football's Rob Hart (1995-99) and Austin Lane (2006-09), Stevon Roberts (1990-93) and Siebert Straughn (1989-02) of men's track & field. MSU women's track & field sprinter Alexis Love (2009-13) is also part of the 2019 class along with De'Teri Mayes (1996-98) of men's basketball, Morgan Hicks (2001-04) of rifle and women's track & field and basketball pioneer Pat Ward-Seib (1967-71).
The 37th class to the MSU Hall of Fame has a men's basketball presence in De'Teri Mayes. Known as one of the top two-year players to ever suit up for the Racers, Mayes' career at Murray State last 63 games, but produced 1,340 points, more than half way to the all-time scoring mark of Jeff Martin's 2,484. Mayes' mark stood for 20 seasons as the top two-year scoring mark in MSU history, until Jonathan Stark (2016-18) scored 1,408 points.
RACER BASKETBALL RIVALRY TICKET PACKAGE – LIMITED TIME ONLY
Murray State Athletics announced a special offer for Racer fans with a rivalry ticket package which includes some of the biggest games the Racers' men's team will play in the 2019-20 season. For a limited time, tickets to the men's rivalry games with Southern Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Belmont and Austin Peay can be purchased in a general admission ticket for only $44 for four men's and three women's games. Ticket purchases can be made by calling the CFSB Center at 270-809-3000, in person, or online at ticketmaster.com.
The rivalry ticket package includes these games at the CFSB Center in Murray.
• Nov. 19 (M) Southern Illinois 7p
• Dec. 7 (W) Lipscomb 5p, (M) Middle Tennessee 7p
• Jan. 23 Belmont (W) 3p & (M) 6p
• Feb. 29 Austin Peay (W) 5p & (M) 7p
GLOBETROTTERS VISIT CFSB CENTER - JAN. 15
After wowing fans inside the CFSB Center in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2017 and 2019, the worldwide sensation Harlem Globetrotters have announced they will return to Murray State University for a seventh time on Jan. 15, 2020. Tickets can be purchased starting ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Guests may also visit the CFSB Center ticket office, located at 1401 State Route 121 North, Murray, Ky 42071 (Lower A Entrance) or by calling 260-809-3000.
Team Stats
MSU
UT
FG%
.411
.500
3FG%
.391
.545
FT%
.727
.667
RB
34
35
TO
13
9
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Coach Jody Wright | Racer Football Press Conference | 10/06/2025
Tuesday, October 07
Coach Rechelle Turner | Women's Basketball Press Conference | 9/29/2025
Monday, September 29
Players Briley Pena & Haven Ford | Women's Basketball Press Conference | 9/29/2025
Monday, September 29
Coach Jody Wright | Racer Football Press Conference | 9/29/2025
Monday, September 29