Box Score

BOX (PDF)  |  BOX (HTML)  |  Photo Gallery by Sandy King

CHARLESTON, Ill.  – Murray State remained undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference action on Thursday night, defeating the Panther men's basketball team, 70-66, inside Lantz Arena. EIU falls to 5-12 (2-4 OVC) while the Racers improve to 10-7 (5-0 OVC).
 
Trailing 48-47 with 10:26 left in the contest, the Racers took their first lead of the game on back-to-back free throws by Cameron Payne. Murray State led by as many as six (54-48) with 8:43 on the clock before the Panthers used an 11-3 run to regain the lead, 59-57, with just under five minutes remaining in the contest.
 
The Racers went 2-for-5 from the floor down the stretch and 8-for-10 from the foul line to hold off the Panthers. EIU was tied with Murray State, 59-59, with 3:45 remaining in regulation before committing their only two turnovers of the half and going 3-for-7 from the field to end the game. The final 10 minutes of the contest had five lead changes and three ties.
 
Reggie Smith led the Panthers with a game and season-high 27 points, going 8-for-23 from the floor and 9-for-11 from the foul line. Sherman Blanford added 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, his third double-double of the year and seventh of his career. Luke Piotrowski chipped in nine points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes of action off the bench.
 
Payne paced the Racers with 21 points on 6-for-17 shooting. The freshman guard also went 6-for-7 from the foul line. T.J. Sapp added 20 points while Jonathan Fairell grabbed 14 rebounds and scored eight points.
 
Both teams shot under 40 percent on the night with the Racers connecting on 37 percent (20-for-54) of their shot attempts and the Panthers hitting 30.9 percent (21-for-68) of their field-goal attempts. Murray State went 23-for-29 from the foul line and EIU went 22-for-29. The Racers also went 7-for-21 from behind the arc while EIU was 2-for-17 from three-point range.
 
Defensively, EIU held a 45-40 advantage on the glass and forced 12 Murray State turnovers – converting the miscues into 14 points. The Racers had two more blocks (9-7) in the contest than EIU.
 
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 18 against Austin Peay at 2 p.m. inside Lantz Arena.