The Murray State Racers mens basketball team defeated the Bradley Braves 67-58 on Wednesday night, improving their record in the Missouri Valley Conference to 4-1. The Racers, who have now won back-to-back games, also improved to 5-1 at their home court in the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
DJ Burns led the way for the Racers with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Brian Moore Jr. also had a strong performance off the bench, scoring 10 points. Jacobi Wood and Rob Perry each added 10 points, and eight players overall scored for Murray State.
In the first half, the Racers found themselves trailing 20-12 at the 10:58 mark. However, they went on a 17-3 run over the next 6:29 to get back into the game. Sam Murray’s hook shot and Perry’s three-point play gave the Racers their largest lead of the day at 34-25 with 1:52 remaining. Bradley scored once more before halftime to cut the Racers’ lead to 34-27.
The Racers started the second half strong, going on a 13-1 run to grab their largest lead of the game with 5:06 remaining. Brian Moore Jr. scored six straight points to put Murray State up 59-46. Bradley made a late run and cut the Racers’ lead to five points with 48 seconds remaining, but Murray State held on by making four straight free throws.
This was the first meeting between the Racers and Braves since the 1994 NIT, and it was Bradley’s first game in Murray since 1982. The Racers now lead the all-time series 8-7. The two teams will meet again on February 11 at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois.
Quincy Anderson reached the 1,000-point mark for his career with an offensive rebound and score with 15:26 remaining in the game. Anderson is now one of four Racers players to reach the 1,000-point club, joining Jamari Smith, Brian Moore Jr., and Rob Perry.
Brian Moore Jr. tied his season high with 10 points, and the Racers did an excellent job defending Bradley’s Rienk Mast, who was limited to three points and one rebound in 22:10 of playing time due to foul trouble. The Racers won the rebound battle 39-32 and are now 7-3 this season when winning that statistic.
Next up for the Racers is a trip to the Hawkeye State to take on Drake on January 7 and Northern Iowa on January 10.
