Racers Blitz Evansville On Harcum’s Big Game at Arch Madness

Thursday, March 6

St. Louis, Mo.

6 p.m.

Murray State

16-16,9-11MVC

Evansville

11-21,8-12MVC

Evansville

Murray St.

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

Racers Blitz Evansville On Harcum’s Big Game at Arch Madness

3/6/2025 10:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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The Racer senior set a MVC Tournament record by hitting 7-of-7 from the 3-point line and scored a career-high 31 points

The Murray State Racers won their opening game of State Farm Arch Madness 74-53 over the Evansville Purple Aces at the Enterprise Center, as the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament is being played out for a 49^th time and 35^th consecutive in St. Louis.

The Racers (16-16), the No. 7 seed, advance to a Friday quarterfinal game against the No. 2 seeded Bradley Braves at 6 p.m.

Terence Harcum scored a career-high 31 points and set a single-game record at Arch Madness by making 7-of-7 from the 3-point line on a day when he only missed one shot the entire game. He was 10-of-11 from field and also perfect from the free throw line on 4-of-4.

Kylen Milton was MSU's only other double-digit scorer when he hit four threes of his own for 14 points on a day when the Racers connected on a season-high 14 threes.

The game began with the Racers hitting four 3-pointers, including a pair from Milton. Alden Applewhite's three with 11:51 left gave the Racers a 16-8 edge. The Racers took their largest lead of the day with 5:03 left when Harcum drilled a 3-pointer for an 11-point lead.

On the final play of the half, Ellington tipped in Wood's missed three and the Racers had the lead at the intermission 35-29.

Leading 49-40 with 11:21 remaining, Harcum picked up his fourth personal foul in the game, but managed to play the rest of the game with no trouble. From this point forward, each time he hit a three, the lead for the Racers grew. Harcum connected for his seventh-straight 3-pointer with 5:14 left and the Racers had a 65-45 lead.

Playing one of their top defensive games of the season, the Racers held UE to 35 percent shooting (17-of-49).

Game Notes

Harcum sets MVC Tournament single-game three-point percentage record (minimum three attempts) going 7-for-7 from three-point range and eclipsing the previous record set by Illinois State's Shawn Jeppson (6-for-6) vs. Drake March 2, 2002.
10-for-11 from the field, Harcum's .909 field goal percentage is the fourth-best percentage (minimum six FGM) in Arch Madness history and the best by a player who missed a shot.
In Murray State history, Harcum just missed the team record for single-game shooting percentage, that is currently held at 10-of-10 by James Singleton vs Tennessee State in 2002 and Cuthbert Victor 10-of-10 in 2001. Tennessee State was the opponent in each game.
In going 7-of-7 from the 3-point line, Harcum was one from matching the MSU team record of 8-of-8 by Singleton against Eastern Illinois in 2003.
Harcum is the 22^nd Racer to hit at least seven 3-pointers in a game and the first since Justice Hill hit eight at Belmont in 2022.
MSU's single-game record is nine 3-pointers (Tevin Brown at UT Martin – 2019, Jonathan Stark at South Dakota State – 2016 and Justin Burdine vs Eastern Kentucky – 2002.
He's the first Racer to score 30 points or more in a postseason game since Ja Morant scored 36 against Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in 2019.
Harcum has four games of 20 or more points scored this season.
The last Racer to score 30 or more points in a game was Rob Perry at Valparaiso in 2023 with 30 points.
Harcum started the season with a run of 18 games in which he made at least one 3-pointer and now his current streak is the last seven games.
JaCobi Wood had a team-high eight assists as the Racers had 21 assists on their 26 made field goals.
Nick Ellington collected a game-high nine rebounds.
Ellington's tip in on the final play of the first half broke a run of five-straight scoreless possessions.
Harcum's three that gave the Racers their biggest lead of 11 points, ended a run of scoring on six-straight possessions.
The first half was lightly called as there were only 11 combined free throws attempted, eight by UE.
The Racers are now 2-2 in three appearances at State Farm Arch Madness and get their first win since 2023, when they defeated Valparaiso.
The Racers meet Bradley for the first time in Arch Madness and for the third time this season in Friday's quarterfinals.
Their first meeting (Jan. 18) Bradley beat the Racers 74-61 in Murray.
The second meeting was in Peoria (Feb. 22) in a thrilling game that the Braves won in overtime 85-83.
Friday's game marks the first time the Racers and Braves have met at Arch Madness.

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