Racers Win at SIU For Second Time This Season

Wednesday, February 19

Carbondale, ILL.

6 p.m.

Murray State

14-14,8-9MVC

Southern Illinois

12-16,7-10MVC

Murray St.

Southern Ill.

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

2/19/2025 11:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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MSU wins two road games at an opponent's home court in a single season for the first time since 1943

A pair of free throws each from Terence Harcum and Kylen Milton in the final seconds propelled the Murray State Racers to a 62-60 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis at Banterra Center in Carbondale.

Forced to play for a second time this season at SIU after power issues made their home court at the CFSB Center in Murray unplayable, the Racers became the first MSU team since 1943 and just the fifth in 100 seasons of the program, to get two road wins on an opponent's home court in a single season.

The Racers (14-14) improved to 8-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference as they take on the Bradley Braves Saturday in Peoria, Illinois at 5 p.m.

JaCobi Wood led the Racers with 20 points, while Harcum and Nick Ellington each added 14 points to push the Racers to their sixth road win of the season overall and to 5-4 on the road in The Valley.

Leading 33-24 at halftime, the Racers went cold at the start of the second half hitting only 2-of-16 from the field (1-of-9 3PT) and the Salukis rallied to lead by six points with 8:20 remaining. The Racers reclaimed the lead with 5:04 left on a bucket in the lane by Harcum and never trailed again.

With the game tied 58-58, Harcum hit a pair of free throws to give the Racers the lead with 38 seconds left, but SIU's Kennard Davis scored to tie it again with 36 seconds on the clock. The Racers let the clock run down when Milton was fouled with four seconds left. His free throws put MSU in front and they successfully defended SIU's final try, a top of the key 3-point try at the buzzer by Jared Hensley.

Game Notes

The Racers have six wins at home and on the road after today's win at SIU.
It's the most road wins for MSU since the 2021-22 team was 11-1 and the Racers are only one win away from seven road wins, the same as they won in their first two seasons in the Valley from 2022-24.
The Racers' free throw day of making 23-of-25 (.920) put them over the top in this game as they outscored the Salukis by 12 points from the line.
The game marked just the third time since 2004 that the Racers have shot 90 percent or better from the free throw line with 25 or more attempts.
The other instances happened in 2008 at home against St. Catharine (25-of-26 .962) and 2010 at home against Eastern Illinois (28-0f-31 .903).
Woods scores his 11^th career game of 20 points or more and the sixth in his three year run with the Racers.
MSU held the Salukis to only one made 3-point basket today.
MSU has held opponents to five or fewer threes this season in 14 games against NCAA D-I teams.
The Racers won the first meeting in Carbondale 74-64 (Jan. 22) and have now won at SIU again tonight.
This is the 24th time in MSU's 100 season in which they have played twice on the home court of an opponent in the same season, the first since 1987, when the Racers played at EKU and lost both.
With MSU's win today at SIU, it marks the sixth time MSU has won twice on an opponent's home court and the first since 1942-43 when MSU won at Tennessee Tech 50-43 (Feb. 5) and 47-25 (Feb. 06) on back-to-back days.
MSU's other double wins came in 1932 at WKU, 1938 at EKU, 1941 at Union (TN), 1943 at TTU.
MSU plays Saturday in Peoria against the Bradley Braves in Carver Arena.
The tip time is 5 p.m. on ESPNU.

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