The Murray State Racers fell to the Belmont Bruins on Tuesday, losing 80-65 at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The loss drops the Racers’ record to 10-9 and their standing in the Missouri Valley Conference to 5-4.
Rob Perry led the Racers in scoring with 14 points, followed by JaCobi Wood with 12 points and Jamari Smith with 11 points. The first half of the game saw four tied scores in the first five minutes and runs for both teams. The Racers started with a 12-2 run, holding the Bruins to no field goals for seven minutes and taking a 21-11 lead at 8:40. However, the Bruins ended the half outscoring the Racers 16-4, taking a 34-30 lead into halftime.
The Bruins opened the second half with a 15-4 run, putting the Racers behind 54-36 at the 13:00 mark. Despite their efforts, the Racers were unable to close the gap, never getting closer than 14 points for the rest of the game.
This marked the 24th meeting between the Racers and Bruins, with the Racers trailing in the series 11-12. The Racers have a 2-6 record all-time at Belmont. The Bruins will return to Murray State for a game on February 1st. Brian Moore Jr. made his first start for the Racers and the Racers didn’t shoot their first free throw until 13:37 remaining in the second half when Justin Morgan went to the line.
The Racers return home on Saturday, January 23rd to host the Indiana State Sycamores at 5 p.m. on Faculty/Staff Appreciation and Athletics Academic Recognition Day at the CFSB Center.
