Racers Get Mixed Results In Defeat At #12 Auburn

Wednesday, December 22

Auburn, Ala.

5 p.m.

Murray State

10-2,0-0OVC

Auburn

11-1,0-0SEC

Murray St.

Auburn

Photo by: Auburn Athletic Media Relations

12/22/2021 12:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Racers finished non-conference play with a game at #12 Auburn

The Murray State Racers saw their seven-game win streak come to a halt in a 71-58 loss against the No. 12 ranked Auburn Tigers at the Auburn Arena in Alabama.

The Racers (10-2) take a break for Christmas and begin Ohio Valley Conference play (Dec. 30) at home against Southeast Missouri.

Tevin Brown led the way for the Racers with 22 points and nine rebounds, while KJ Williams added 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Racers hung around most of the game thanks to nearly matching Auburn's defensive effort. MSU took a 9-4 lead to start the game, but found themselves trailing 10-9 at the first media timeout with 15:39 left in the first half. Auburn hit the Racers with a 15-2 run and went ahead 28-19 at 5:02. A late run and a basket from Williams with .4 on the clock cut the Tiger's lead to 37-27 at the intermission.

When the Racers cut it to a six-point auburn lead at 41-35 with 15:32 left, but the Tigers hit a half court shot to beat the shot clock and it ignited a run that left the Racers behind 54-38 with 12:26 left.

Game Notes

MSU was looking for their first win over a team from the Southeastern Conference since they defeated Auburn at the Charleston Classic in 2012.
MSU is 10-29 all-time against teams from the SEC and 1-6 against Auburn.
MSU's 27 points in the first half was one of their lowest outputs of the season, but not the lowest. MSU scored 25 against James Madison at the Naples Invitational.
Brown's career 3-point total is now up to 291. Isaiah Canaan (2009-13) has the Murray State record of 304 and Joe Sibbitt of Austin Peay (1994-98) has the Ohio Valley Conference record of 319.
Adding his 33-point game against Chattanooga on Saturday, Brown scored 55 points this week for a 27.5 scoring average.
MSU has started the same lineup in all 12 games this season. Brown, Hill, KJ Williams, DJ Burns and Carter Collins.
The 74^th season of basketball in the Ohio Valley Conference for the Racers begins (Dec. 30) at home against Southeast Missouri.
The first weekend of OVC play includes the Racers competing on New Year's Day for just the sixth time and the first since 2003. MSU hosts Tennessee Tech at the CFSB Center at 7 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2022.
The Racers first played on New Year's Day in 1956 when Coach Cal Luther's team beat Mississippi State at old Racer Arena 91-80.

Harlem Globetrotters Coming To CFSB Center – Feb. 2
The worldwide sensation Harlem Globetrotters have announced they will return to Murray State University for an eighth time on February 2, 2022 beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or by calling 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). For more information, please contact the CFSB Center ticket hotline at 270-809-3000.

Racers Selected For Two Home Games On ESPNU
The Murray State men's basketball is hosting a pair of televised home games on ESPNU as announced by the Ohio Valley Conference for the 2021-22 season. The Racers will appear on ESPNU (Feb. 17) when they host the Austin Peay Governors at the CFSB Center in a 6 p.m. tip. The second game happens at home (Feb. 24) against the Belmont Bruins in a tip off of 8 p.m. Both of the TV games for the Racers come on Thursday nights. The OVC schedule has a total of nine total men's basketball televised games (six regular season contests and three OVC Tournament games) to be aired by one of the ESPN networks during the 2021-22 season. This includes three nights of coverage at the OVC Tournament (March 4-5) at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

Racer Basketball Legacy Fund
The new fundraising initiative invites Racer supporters to have a lasting impact on the Murray State men's and women's basketball programs. Those interested in learning more about how you can support the Racer Basketball Legacy Fund initiative may contact Director of Development-Athletics, Taylor Mudd at (270) 809-3517 or tmudd3@murraystate.edu for more information.

For more information contact:
Dave Winder (dwinder@murraystate.edu) – O: (270) 809-4271; C: (270) 293-0566

About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. The Racers are a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference and are currently one of just two original members from the conference's first season in 1948.