Racers Throttle TSU For Ninth-Straight Win at The Bank

Thursday, January 13

Murray, Ky.

7 p.m.

Murray State

13-2,3-0OVC

Tennessee State

6-9,1-2OVC

Tennessee St.

Murray St.

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

Racers Throttle TSU For Ninth-Straight Win at The Bank

1/13/2022 10:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Murray State’s KJ Williams’ game of 12 points and 11 rebounds marks his fifth double-double this season

The Murray State Racers showed they can win a game not only with a high-powered offense, but also a lock down defense as witnessed Thursday at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. The Racers moved to 3-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 67-44 win over Tennessee State. The win for the Racers pushed their overall mark to 13-2 as they roll into a Saturday showdown in Nashville against Belmont.

KJ Williams scored his fifth double-double of the season on 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Tevin Brown and Trae Hannibal each added 11 points. Justice Hill dished out seven assists.

MSU's determined defense held TSU to 25 percent shooting to grab an early 12-2 lead in the first minutes of the game. When Jordan Skipper-Brown had slam dunks in two consecutive trips down the floor, the MSU's lead went to 25-5 with 7:51 before the half. The Racers held the Tigers to 7-of-25 from the field for 28 percent, while doubling TSU up in hitting twice as many from the floor on 14-of-30 for 47 percent. The Racers held the lead 35-16 at the halftime intermission.

In the second half, Hannibal hit a pair of threes with 6:47 remaining and the Racers pushed their lead back to 20 points after TSU had cut the MSU lead to 10.

Game Notes

The Racers held a 35-16 lead at halftime and are now 10-0 when they have the lead at halftime this season.
The Racers have won three in a row since their last loss (Dec. 22) at Auburn.
The Racers now lead the all-time series with Tennessee State 57-17 and are 33-6 at home.
MSU has won the last seven games in their series with TSU.
Game two between the Racers and Tigers is set for Feb. 10 at the Gentry Center in Nashville.
The Racers are closing on their 300^th win at the CFSB Center and have a record of 295-49 as they play their 24^th season in the CFSB Center.
Brown hit one 3-point basket and now has 298 for his career as he chases down MSU all-time record holder Isaiah Canaan (2009-13) at 304 and Brown is also taking aim at the OVC record of 319 set by Austin Peay's Joe Sibbitt (1994-98).
KJ Williams had his fifth double-double of the season and now has 21 in his MSU career.
He has 23 career games with 10 or more rebounds.
Trae Hannibal had a very productive 18 minutes with a stat line of 3-3 from the field (2-of-2) from the 3-point line for 11 points to go with five rebounds and a pair of assists.
Brown was named to the Lou Henson Award midseason watch list this week. He was a Henson All-America selection following the 2019-20 season.

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.

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.