Late Rally Falls Short For Racers vs La Salle

Monday, November 25

Estero, Fla.

6:30 p.m.

Murray State

3-2

La Salle

2-2

La Salle

Murray State

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

11/25/2019 8:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery Box Score (PDF)

The Murray State Racers trailed by 15 at halftime and got as close as nine points, but couldn't avoid a 75-64 defeat to the La Salle Explorers Monday in the first of three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.

The Racers (3-2) take on the Weber State Wildcats (1-3) Tuesday in a 12:30 p.m. tip in the consolation bracket.

When the game started, Jaiveon Eaves hit a 3-pointer to keep the Racers near the Wildcats 9-7 only 4:45 into the contest. MSU took their first lead of the game at the 12:30 mark when Tevin Brown hit a 3-pointer to make it 14-11. The Explorers gained the hot hand and went on a 12-2 run to put the Racers behind 23-16 with 8:35 before half. By the time they made it to the halftime intermission, La Salle had a 41-26 lead on the strength of 8-of-16 from the 3-point line, while MSU was 2-of-11.

With 9:15 remaining in the second half, the Racers cut the La Salle lead to nine and again with 3:33 on the clock when Darnell Cowart hit a free throw. However, the Racers couldn't get any closer in the 75-64 setback.

Brown led the Racers with 19 points on 8-of-17 from the field, while Cowart scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shots from the field. Eaves added 10 points. Brown hauled in a team-best six rebounds.

When the night ended, the Racers shot 43 percent on 26-of-60, while the Explorers were 24-of-47 for 51 percent. Ls Salle outscored the Racers 13-4 from the 3-point line and 14-8 from the free throw line.

Game Notes
The Racers take on the Weber State Wildcats in Tuesday's second game. The Racers and WSU met in the championship of the Gulf Coast Showcase in 2015, where the Wildcats got the best of the Racers 75-59 in their first all-time meeting. In Monday's opening game, Weber State fell to Wright State 72-57.

In the other half of the bracket, South Alabama defeated Northeastern 74-62 and Miami (OH) topped Drake 67-59. USA and Miami meet Tuesday in the other semifinal opposite of WSU and La Salle. The Racers' third game of the tournament Wednesday will see them meet either Drake or Northeastern in possible game times of 10 a.m. CT or 12:30 p.m. CT.

2019 Gulf Coast Showcase
Hertz Arena – Estero, Fla.

1^st Round Scores, Monday, Nov. 25
Northeastern 62 South Alabama 74
Drake 59 Miami (OH) 67
Wright State 72 Weber State 57
Murray State 64 La Salle 75

Semifinals – Tuesday, Nov. 26
11 a.m. ET – Northeastern vs Drake
1:30 p.m. ET – Murray State vs Weber State
5 p.m. ET – South Alabama vs Miami (OH)
7:30 p.m. ET – La Salle vs Wright State

Wednesday, Nov. 27 (all-times Eastern)
11 a.m. ET – Consolation game
1:30 p.m. ET – 5th place game
5 p.m. ET – 3rd place game
7:30 p.m. ET – Championship game

Coming into the 2019 Gulf Coast Showcase, the Racers have seen action in 63 tournaments in 26 states and Puerto Rico since 1944. The Racers hail from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, so it's no surprise they've played in seven events in their home state over the years. Other most-visited states include: Indiana (8), Louisiana (5) and Florida, Ohio and Alabama (4 each). The last time the Racers won a championship was at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage in 2011. That season is generally known as the greatest season in MSU history when the Racers were the final undefeated team in NCAA D-I at 23-0 under Coach Steve Prohm (now at Iowa State). Current Racers coach Matt McMahon was an assistant on that team. MSU's last championships include: 1990 Puerto Rico Classic, 1996 Racer Classic, 1998 Sooner Classic, 2009 Coaches vs Cancer Tournament and the 2011 Great Alaska Shootout.