The Murray State Racers fell to the Southern Illinois Salukis in a 68-64 defeat on Tuesday night at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. The Racers, who now have a record of 11-10, dropped to 6-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. They will return home on Saturday to host the Missouri State Bears in a game that is sure to be a fan favorite on Ja Morant Poster Day.
Rob Perry collected his first double-double for MSU with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Brian Moore Jr. added 19 points and Jamari Smith scored 15 points. Despite a strong effort, the Racers came up short in the final seconds of the game, after trailing by six points with under 10 minutes remaining.
In a highly entertaining game, the Racers started the game trailing 10-2, but they came back to tie the game at 12-12 on a three-point play by Moore. Moore hit a free throw at the 9:08 mark, sparking a 12-2 run for MSU, giving them a 17-14 lead. SIU hit three-straight 3-pointers and went into halftime with a 34-30 lead.
The Racers had a strong game on the boards, winning the battle 36-27 and limiting SIU to only five offensive rebounds, while grabbing 15. Despite being 2-8 on the road this season, the Racers had late leads in each of their games at UNI and SIU.
Saturday’s 1 p.m. game at the CFSB Center is Ja Morant Poster Day, when the Racers host the Missouri State Bears. The Bears have not visited Murray since 2018, where the Racers won 77-66. The last meeting between the two teams was in Springfield in 2019, where Missouri State nipped the Racers 71-69.
Overall, Coach Steve Prohm is 2-2 all-time against SIU and the Racers trail the all-time series with SIU 21-19, and are 5-12 on the road. The team will look to use this loss as motivation to come back stronger and secure a win against the Missouri State Bears.
