Freshman point guard Cameron Payne (1) looks for an open teammate in the Racers’ win against Austin Peay Saturday.
The final two undefeated teams in the OVC West squared off Saturday at the CFSB Center as the Racers hosted Austin Peay in a critical early season matchup.
The game did not live up to its billing, however, as Murray State ran away with an 89-67 victory over its long-time rival to stay perfect in OVC play and move to 9-7 on the season.
Coming off a long road trip to Eastern Kentucky just three days earlier, the Murray State displayed no signs of fatigue as they jumped all over the Governors quickly in the first half.
Led by sophomore Jeffery Moss’ 13 first-half points, the Racers outscored Austin Peay 22-6 over the final six and a half minutes of the half and went into the locker room with a 43-31 lead.
“We had a good burst of energy and a good run at the end of the first half that kind of separated us going into halftime,” Head Coach Steve Prohm said. “That first half spurt was really what I think was the difference in the game.”
The teams traded baskets for most of the second half, until the Racers put the nail in the coffin with a 12-0 run late in the game. Murray State held Austin Peay to just one point over the final 5:31.
“I thought they shared the ball, they made the extra pass, we got some timely rebounds and we were able to weather the runs when they made them,” Prohm said.
Six different Racers finished the game scoring in double digits, including Moss, who led the team with 20 points.
Junior forward Jonathan Fairell also had a big night as he led the team in rebounding with 10 – the second highest total of his Murray State career.
“We’ve got players all down the bench from the starting point guard to the last man on the roster,” junior guard T.J. Sapp said. “We’ve got players that can score, but we’re not focused on scoring. We know we’re going to score. Our main thing is stopping the opponent and getting stops on defense.”
The Racers now look ahead to the tail end of a two-game road trip as they prepare to visit Edwardsville, Ill., Saturday afternoon to take on division rival Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
The Cougars have struggled through the beginning of conference play, but are led by an experienced starting lineup consisting of four upper classmen.
The Cougars got the best of Murray State last year when they pulled off a 65-60 upset.
The Racers then return to Murray for a two-game home stand as Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State come to town.
Though Murray State has hit what some may perceive to be a bit of a lull in the schedule, Sapp says Racer fans can expect more exciting things from the team.
“We’re all starting to click a little better,” Sapp said. “The chemistry is getting better. We’re feeling more like a family, we’re getting to know each other a lot better. We’re coming along and people will be able to see that we’re really starting to find ourselves and figure out who we are.”
The Racers and Cougars tip off tomorrow at 1 p.m. from the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville.
Story by Jonathan Ferris, Staff writer