WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 75, Austin Peay 65
Murray State 75, @Eastern Kentucky 71
MOREHEAD STATE 75, AUSTIN PEAY 65
MOREHEAD, Ky. - A balanced attack helped lead the Morehead State men's basketball team past Austin Peay, 75-65, on Wednesday night at Johnson Arena.
MSU improved to 11-9 on the season and 5-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Governors fell to 9-14 on the season and 2-6 in the OVC. MSU won for the seventh time in the previous eight tries against the Govs.
Morehead State led the majority of the way and stretched its lead to as large as 14 midway through the second half. After MSU took a 28-23 lead into the locker room, ASPU came out of the locker room and went on an 8-2 run to take a one-point lead, 31-30. The Eagles answered back with a 14-0 run and stretched their lead out to 13 (44-31). The Governors never saw the lead again, getting no closer than eight after that.
The Eagles finished with five guys in double figures. Junior guard Xavier Moon led the way with 16 points. Junior forward DeJuan Marrero scored 14 points and led the team with six rebounds. Senior Anthony Elechi finished with 13 points and senior Brent Arrington recorded his first double-double of the season (10 points and a career high 11 assists). Junior Treshaad Williams tied a career high with 10 points and freshman Malik Maitland added six assists.
Morehead State shot 55 percent from the field and the Eagles outscored ASPU 48-27 in the paint. The home team won the rebounding battle as well, pulling down 31 total and 11 on the offensive end. MSU turned Austin Peay over 16 times and recorded 11 steals, converting 14 fast break points. The Eagles assisted on 22 of their 33 baskets.
Senior forward Chris Horton led the way for the Governors with 22 points and nine rebounds.
Both coaching staffs wore sneakers during the game in support of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week.
MURRAY STATE 75, EASTERN KENTUCKY 71
RICHMOND, Ky. - A 3-point shot by Justin Seymour with 22-seconds remaining gave the Murray State Racers their first road win of the season in a 75-71 win at Eastern Kentucky Colonels Wednesday at McBrayer Arena in Richmond, Kentucky.
The 159th meeting between these two founding members of the Ohio Valley Conference was sealed as a Racer win when Gee McGhee hit a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining. The Racers (12-10) improved to 5-3 in OVC play and have their first three-game win streak of the season.
Wayne Langston tossed in 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Damarcus Croaker led the Racers with 15 of his 18 points in the first half. Seymour added 12 points on four 3-point baskets. McGhee added 11 points.
Bryce Jones led the team with eight assists.
Leading 39-36 at the half, the Racers fell behind EKU 58-53 with 7:37 left.
MSU outscored EKU 13-5 in the last four minutes of the game.
The Racers started the game cold and hit 1-of-8 from the field and trailed 10-2. They went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 15-15 with 12:35 on the clock on a pair of threes from Croaker. He started the game hitting 5-of-8 from the field and had 12 points before the clock ticked under five minutes. Seymour and Jones followed with 3-point baskets and the Racers led 33-27 with 4:36 before half.
MSU gave up no offensive rebounds to the Colonels in the first half and tied a season-high with eight 3-pointers. MSU also had eight in the first half against Evansville.