Gritty Racers Take SIU To The Wire

Wednesday, February 21

Carbondale, Ill.

7 p.m.

Murray State

11-17,8-9MVC

Southern Illinois

18-10,10-7MVC

Murray St.

Southern Ill.

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

2/21/2024 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Murray State Racers overcame a 12-point deficit and nearly pulled off the win against the Southern Illinois Salukis

The Murray State Racers trailed 41-29 at halftime Wednesday in their Missouri Valley Conference rivalry game, but battled back to take the lead, but ultimately fell 72-68 to the Southern Illinois Salukis at the Banterra Center in Carbondale.

The Racers (11-17) fell to 8-9 in The Valley as they come home for two at the CFSB Center – against Valparaiso Saturday and Belmont on Wednesday (Feb. 28).

JaCobi Wood paced three Racers in double-figures with 17 points, while Quincy Anderson added 15 and Nick Ellington 14 points to the MSU effort.

A poor first half that saw the Racers commit 10 turnovers, more than their average of 9.3 per game - ranked ninth in NCAA DI, combined with hot shooting by the Salukis, to put the Racers in a 41-29 hole at the halftime intermission.

But a 7-0 run to start the second half, on baskets by Wood, Ellington and Justin Morgan, the Racers turned the game into a battle for the rest of the night.

The Racers made it all the way back at the 8:05 mark when Wood scored a three-point play and Lawrent Rice dished to Ellington for MSU's first lead since the first minute of the game.

With 2:21 remaining, Anderson tied it with a tough drive down the lane to make it 66-66. After the Salukis took the lead with 42 seconds on the clock, the Racers had a chance to tie it with 20 seconds left, but Wood missed a 3-point try and Ellington missed the tip in. SIU made 4-of-4 from the free throw line to seal the win for the home team.

Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersHoops).

It's time to think about purchasing tickets to 2024 State Farm Arch Madness (March 7-10) in St. Louis, Missouri. The Enterprise Center is set to host the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament which will be staged in the Gateway City for a 34th consecutive time. Tickets can be purchased through the Murray State ticket office at the CFSB Center, by calling (270) 809-3000 or online through GoRacers.com and TicketMaster.com.

Game Notes
MSU freshman Lawrent Rice played a season-high 17:55 tonight for his first significant playing time this season.
MSU's Nick Ellington now has 991 career college points when combining his two seasons at Meridian CC, Eastern Illinois and Murray State.
MSU's Quincy Anderson is closing on 1,500 career points between his time at Minnesota State and Murray State. He now has 1,469.
Rice excelled with five points, a 3-point basket, three assists and a steal with zero turnovers.
The Racers had 10 turnovers in the first half, more than their No. 9 ranking of 9.3 per game showed entering the game.
In MSU's comeback in the second half, they only committed five.
MSU's season-high was twice: vs Midway in the season opener and vs SMU each with 12.
The Racers host the Valparaiso Beacons Saturday in their first meeting of the season.
The upcoming games with Valpo and Belmont are MSU's final games in their 26 seasons of playing at the CFSB Center.