Williams' Monster Night Helps Racers Take Down Skyhawks

Saturday, January 22

Murray, Ky.

7 p.m.

Murray State

17-2,7-0OVC

UT Martin

6-13,2-5OVC

UT Martin

Murray St.

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

Williams' Monster Night Helps Racers Take Down Skyhawks

1/22/2022 2:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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KJ Williams scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season

The Murray State Racers improved to 7-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 74-66 victory over the UT Martin Skyhawks and pushed their home win streak to 11 at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky. The win pushes the Racers to seven-straight wins since their last loss at now second-ranked Auburn (Dec. 22).

KJ Williams had a monster game with a career-high 33 points to go with 15 rebounds. It marked his sixth double-double this season and the 22^nd of his MSU career. Justice Hill added 13 points and Tevin Brown 10 points. Brown and Trae Hannibal each grabbed 10 rebounds.

On a night when the shots weren't falling, the Racers rolled up their sleeves and got the job done. The Racers held the Skyhawks to 33 percent from the field to take a halftime lead KJ Williams

of 32-29. They outscored UTM 42-37 in the second half to get the win.

The Racers are 17-2 as they take on Tennessee Tech next week in a pair of games. The Golden Eagles visit The Bank Monday for a single-game 7 p.m. game and the Racers return the game to Cookeville Thursday in a 6 p.m. tip.

Game Notes

KJ Williams has 1,368 career points and has passed Antoine Whelchel (2000-04) for 24^th place at MSU.
Tevin Brown has 1,682 points and is closing on 10^th place Garrett Beshear (1950-53) at 1,798 points.
Williams was one rebound from his career-high of 16 rebounds that he recorded on four different occasions.
Williams hit 12-of-17 from the field and was 9-of-13 from the free throw line.
While the Racers were having a slow night on offense, they did manage to hit 25-of-33 from the free throw line for 76 percent.
The Racers held a 32-29 lead at halftime and are now 13-0 when they have the lead at halftime this season.
MSU is 10-0 at home this season and their winning streak at the CFSB Center is 11, as they won the final home last season over SIUE.
MSU has used the same starting lineup in all 19 games this season: Tevin Brown, Justice Hill, Carter Collins, KJ Williams and DJ Burns.
Racer head coach Matt McMahon is 140-66 (.679) in his seventh season at MSU and 82-31 (.725) in OVC play.
The Racers lead the all-time series with UTM 56-7 and are 31-1 at home.
MSU has won the last seven meetings with the Skyhawks. The Racers return the game to Martin (Feb. 19).
With 17 wins in their first 19 games, the Racers are again in a good position to have their 32nd 20-win season in the history of program as the 97th season is being played in 2021-22.
If the Racers reach 20 wins, Coach Matt McMahon will have his fourth and join Carlisle Cutchin (1925-41) and Steve Prohm (2011-15) for the most in program history.
The day of basketball at Murray State honored a Racer Great on Coach Ron Greene Day. The MSU Hall of Famer led the Racers men's basketball team from 1978-85 and won three OVC regular season championships. 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.