Racers Light Up Vegas in Record Setting Win Over Akron

Saturday, December 13

Henderson, Nev.

3 p.m.

Murray State

8-3,0-0MVC

115

100

Akron

8-3,0-0MAC

Murray St.

115

Akron

100

Photo by: Rodney Haas

Racers Light Up Vegas in Record Setting Win Over Akron

12/13/2025 8:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Racers have won four-straight games heading into Thursdays MVC opener vs Drake at home

Murray State Racers hit a school-record 18 3-point baskets and zoomed past the Akron Zips 115-100 Saturday at the Jack Jones Classic at Lee's Family Forum in Last Vegas.

The Racers (8-3) have won four-straight heading into the Missouri Valley Conference opener Thursday (Dec. 18) against the Drake Bulldogs at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.

MSU put seven players in double-figure scoring with 23 points and 20 points coming from Layne Taylor and Javon Jackson, while JJ Traynor added 16 and Roman Domon added 13 points. MSU also got 11 points from Fred King and 10 each from KJ Tenner and Brayden Shorter.

Leading 47-42 at halftime, the Racers were on their way in scoring a 68-point second half and put the game away with 4:07 left with a 15-6 run fueled by Taylor that hit three straight triples. The Racers went in front by 23 points and took it home from there.

Game Notes

The Racers have two of the top wins in the non-conference season with a prior 96-95 win over George Washington and today's win over Akron.
GWU was No. 60 in the KenPom ratings on (Nov. 25) and Akron was No. 54 today as play began.
MSU's 18 3-pointers today is a new program record, topping the prior two games in which the team made 17.
The first happened at Racer Arena in 1994 when coach Scott Edgar's Racers hit 17 against Campbellsville.
The most recent game of hitting 17 happened under Coach Matt McMahon when the Racers played double overtime in 2016 in Brookings, S.D.
Taylor's six threes is a career-record, matching the six he had against Pine Bluff in 2024.
Taylor is the first Racer to hit six threes in a game since JaCobi Wood hit six against Maryland Eastern Shore in 2024.
MSU's 68 points scored in the second half is third in program history.
MSU scored 86 points in the second half against Greenville in 2020.
The Racers have six second halves this season of scoring 50 or more points.
JJ Traynor had a team-high five offensive rebounds.
In records that date to 1950, MSU's 115 points is best against NCAA D-I opponent that was played in regulation time.
The last of more than 115 points vs NCAA DI, was in 1994 when the Racers won 116-91 at Morehead State.
The last time the Racers played a regulation game vs NCAA DI in a game that didn't go to overtime was a 114-100 win at home in the OVC Tournament under Coach Tevester Anderson in 2001.
Today's game might've been spied as a game in which the first team to get to 100 points was going to win the game.
The Racers reached 100 with 5:55 left on Taylor's sixth 3-point basket.
Taylor was first in the MVC in assist-turnover ratio when the day began and did himself to harm with eight assists and no turnovers today.

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