First Place Racers Vanquish EIU – Push Home Win Streak To 10

Thursday, January 20

Murray, Ky.

7 p.m.

Murray State

16-2,6-0OVC

Eastern Illinois

2-15,0-4OVC

Eastern Ill.

Murray St.

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

First Place Racers Vanquish EIU – Push Home Win Streak To 10

1/20/2022 2:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Racers improved to 6-0 in the OVC and won their 16th game this season

The Murray State Racers moved to 6-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 91-51 win over the Eastern Illinois Panthers at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky. The win gave the Racers a six-game winning streak as they improved to 16-2.

Tevin Brown led the way with 16 points, while DaQuan Smith tied his season-high with 15 points. Carter Collins added 10 points and Trae Hannibal dished out a career-high 12 assists and was just two points and rebounds from a triple-double. KJ Williams and DJ Burns each grabbed 11 rebounds.

Smith hit three in a row from the 3-point line to give the Racers a 27-10 lead with 8:57 in the first half. He made two more just before the half and the Racers held a commanding lead of the under-manned Panthers 48-22.

MSU's largest lead of the game came with 8:05 remaining of 43 points.

The Racers tied their season-high with 14 made 3-point baskets, matching what they did in road wins at Memphis (Dec. 10) and Belmont (Jan. 15). The Racers tallied 25 assists on their 35 field goals and only committed seven turnovers.

Game Notes

A game after setting the Murray State record for career made 3-point baskets, Tevin Brown hit 4-of-10 tonight and he drew closer to the OVC record. Brown now has 311. Austin Peay's Joe Sibbitt set the record at 319 from 1994-98.
Brown's streak of making a 3-pointer is now at 13. Justice Hill is up to six games in a row. The MSU record of 40 by Isaiah Canaan was set in 2013.
KJ Williams has 1,335 career points and has tied Antoine Whelchel (2000-04) for 24^th place at MSU. Brown has 1,672 points and is closing on 10^th place Garrett Beshear (1950-53) at 1,798 points.
Trae Hannibal had an amazing stat line. He played 18:12 and was only two points and two rebounds from a triple-double. He had eight points, eight rebounds and a career-high 12 assists.
Hannibal's previous career-best assist game was six twice when he was at South Carolina last season (at Kentucky on March 6, 2021 and at Georgia Jan. 27, 2021).
DaQuan Smith hit the first three 3-pointers he attempted tonight. He was 5-of-9 and tied his career high that he had vs Kennesaw State (Dec. 16, 2019).
The Racers held a 48-22 lead at halftime and are now 13-0 when they have the lead at halftime this season.
The Racers have won six games in a row since their last loss (Dec. 22) at Auburn.
MSU is 9-0 at home this season and their winning streak at the CFSB Center is 10, as they won the final home last season over SIUE.
MSU has used the same starting lineup in all 18 games this season: Tevin Brown, Justice Hill, Carter Collins, KJ Williams and DJ Burns.
The Racers topped 80 points for the sixth time this season against NCAA D-I competition. The Racers started the week seventh in the nation at 83.4 points per game.
Racer head coach Matt McMahon is 139-66 (.678) in his seventh season at MSU and 81-31 (.723) in OVC play.
The Racers lead the all-time series with EIU 51-14 and they are 28-4 at home.
The Racers are at home Saturday against UT Martin in a doubleheader day at the CFSB Center.
Saturday is also Coach Ron Greene Day as Racer Nation honors a MSU Hall of Famer who led the Racers men's basketball team from 1978-85. Greene passed away March 31, 2021 at age 82.

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.

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. Currently a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Racers will join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.