Constant Companions - Big Games & Racer Basketball - Murray State University Athletics

The 2019-20 Murray State men's basketball season is now on the long list of successful seasons the program has produced in 95 seasons total and 22 at the CFBS Center in Murray, Kentucky.

In a season that ultimately produced the program's 27^th Ohio Valley Conference regular season title, the Racers and head coach Matt McMahon also kept their recent run into three-consecutive seasons of winning basketball. It features three-straight OVC regular season championships (2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20) and two OVC Tournament titles (2017-18, 2018-19). In the last three seasons, the Racers are a combined 77-20 (.777) overall and 47-7 (.870) in OVC games.

It is often said, when a young player joins the Murray State program, he's signing up to play in games that have great importance. In the 2019-20 season, the Racers did just that and most of the time they came out on top.

Here is a look at the big games MSU played in the 2019-20 season in which they were 23-9 overall and 15-3 in the OVC.

At Tennessee (Nov. 12, 2019) – On the same day when Evansville upset Kentucky, the Racers were looking for the same when they began the second half in Knoxville leading the Tennessee Volunteers 44-35. The second half didn't go as planned in what was an eventual 82-63 win for UT, but the game showed what MSU was capable of.

The Racers 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.
This game marked the fifth-straight year the Racers have played an SEC team. Recent games include Georgia (2015), Ole Miss (2016), Auburn (2017 & 2018) and Tennessee (2019).

Home vs Southern Illinois (Nov. 19, 2019) – It's always a big game when region rivals get together as the Racers and Salukis met in Murray. The Racers scored their sixth-straight win against a Missouri Valley team 79-66. MSU outscored SIU 32-19 in the final 13 minutes to pull away.

Tevin Brown scored 18 points, while Anthony Smith scored 14 and Chico Carter, Jr., added 13 points. KJ Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Darnell Cowart scored 12 points to help the Racers to a 30-12 advantage over SIU in bench points.
MSU had its best game of the season from the line on 30-of-39 for 77 percent.

At Evansville (Dec. 21, 2019) – The Racers' 39^th meeting with the Evansville Purple Aces had a postseason feel at the Ford Center, where the Racers had won all four of their OVC Tournament games in the last two years. With 14.2 seconds remaining, UE's DeAndre Williams hit a 3-pointer to put the Aces ahead 69-66, but Tevin Brown answered with a 3-point basket straightaway deep beyond the top of the key to force the game into overtime. UE won a squeaker 78-76.

Tevin Brown scored 26 second half points to help his team erase a 14-point deficit and tie his career-high with 31 points. DaQuan Smith and KJ Williams each added 10 points to the MSU attack.
Brown's 31-point performance was just off the Ford Center scoring record for opponents of 34 points. Justin James of Wyoming scored 34 on Nov. 28, 20018 and SIU's Armon Fletcher scored 34 points on Feb. 27, 2019.

At Jacksonville State (Jan. 9, 2020) – The Racers won for the first time this season on the road and ended a two-trip run in which they had been unsuccessful at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Trailing by five with 13:37 remaining, the Racers produced a game-changing 14-2 run to get the win and gain an early chip in the OVC race in their only meeting with JSU.

Tevin Brown notched his fourth game in the last five with 20 or more points with 14.
This game marked the Racers' fifth-straight OVC road win dating back to the 2018-19 season.

Tevin Brown post game comments after Racers get a win at JSU 72-68. Brown scored 24 points. pic.twitter.com/VgUNveFrCe
— Murray State Sports (@MSURacers) January 10, 2020

At Southeast Missouri (Jan. 18, 2020) – Talk about pulling a game out of the jaws of defeat, the Racers trailed by four points with 55 seconds remaining at SEMO, but managed to get the game into overtime at the Show Me Center and prevail 96-91.

Tevin Brown scored 29 points and was 14-of-19 from the free throw line. Anthony Smith added 22 points and 10 rebounds. KJ Williams scored 19 and Jaiveon Eaves added 13 points.
Coach Matt McMahon notched his 100th win in five seasons with the Racers, making him the ninth Racer coach of the 16 that have led the program to reach 100 victories.
The game featured 64 combined fouls and produced 75 total free throws.

Home vs Belmont (Jan. 23, 2020) – At the first game with students attending after the winter break, the CFSB Center was rocking with the largest crowd of the season at 6,023. The Racers overcame a four-point halftime deficit and won 85-75.

Tevin Brown scored a game-high 24 points and dished out eight assists, while Anthony Smith racked up a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
MSU had their best 3-point game of the season as they matched Belmont 12 for 12 and MSU held a 42-30 edge on the boards.

At SIUE (Feb. 22, 2020) – Less than 48 hours after suffering a devastating loss at Eastern Illinois, the Racers were down by five with a minute to go at SIUE. However, two Devin Gilmore baskets and a Tevin Brown 3-pointer with nine seconds left, gave the Racers a 59-58 win and kept them alive for the OVC title.

Jaiveon Eaves tied his career high with 21 points after hitting his first five 3-point attempts and Tevin Brown added 10 points as his winning shot was his first made 3-pointer of the day.
MSU's 20^th win of the season for Coach Matt McMahon made him the third MSU coach to win 20 in a season for four-straight seasons.

🧊. IN. HIS. VEINS.

Tevin drains the game-winning 3️⃣!

Racers win, 59-58. Host EKU Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Bank.#GoRacers pic.twitter.com/Zwy3jzp057
— Murray State Sports (@MSURacers) February 22, 2020

Home vs Austin Peay (Feb. 29, 2020) – The Racers clinched their third-consecutive OVC regular season title with a 75-61 victory over Austin Peay, in front of the largest crowd of the season, 8,229, at the CFSB Center. The win allowed the Racers a share of the title with Belmont. The game completed a wild final week, where MSU had to also beat Eastern Kentucky at home.

The OVC title win for the Racers was their 27th, best in the OVC, a league they helped start in 1948.
The win pushed the Racers' home win streak to 21, a streak they'll carry into the 2020-21 season.
Seniors Anthony Smith and Jaiveon Eaves were honored on senior day.

OVC Tournament Semifinals vs Austin Peay (March 6, 2020) – A week later, the Racers and Govs met again in the OVC semifinals. MSU won the game with a big burst to start the second half in the 73-61 victory at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

Tevin Brown led the Racers with 24 points, while KJ Williams pulled down 11 rebounds and scored 15 points. Chico Carter Jr. added 10 points, while Devin Gilmore chipped in with 10 boards.
The win for the Racers gave them 72 all-time wins in the OVC Tournament, tops in the conference.
This game marked the first time MSU and APSU had met in the OVC Tournament since 2009. MSU has won 10-of-16 meetings.

OVC Tournament Championship vs Belmont (March 7, 2020) – The last five times the Racers had made it to the OVC Tournament title game, Belmont has been their opponent and so it was this time. The game itself lived up to the hype with the two league heavyweights trading blows all night long. In total there were eight lead changes and seven ties with neither team leading by more than eight points at any given point. A basket for the Bruins with three seconds left was the difference as the Racers fell 76-75.

Tevin Brown led Murray State with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds on the night while also being named to the All-Tournament team.
Freshman Demond Robinson followed Brown with 14 points and team-highs of six rebounds and six blocks, a record for MSU in the OVC Tournament.
The Racers made their 29^th appearance in the OVC Tournament final game and are now 17-12.

Murray State University Athletics

Constant Companions - Big Games & Racer Basketball

Players Mentioned

Tevin Brown

Chico Carter, Jr.

Darnell Cowart

Jaiveon Eaves

Devin Gilmore

Demond Robinson

Anthony Smith

DaQuan Smith

KJ Williams

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