(MURRAY, Ky.)-Murray State extended their venue dominance to nine consecutive victories at CFSB Center on Monday evening, defeating Southern Illinois 84-81 in their final contest of 2025. The triumph maintained the Racers’ perfect conference record at 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference while pushing their overall mark to 11-3. Their next challenge comes Thursday at 8 p.m. against UIC at Credit One Arena.
JJ Traynor narrowly missed a double-double performance, connecting on six of seven attempts for 16 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Javon Jackson paced the Racers’ offense with 19 points, while Roman Domon contributed 13 points off the bench. Fred King and Layne Taylor each added 11 points despite King facing foul difficulties throughout the contest.
Before a season-high crowd of 5,058, Murray State surged to control early, launching a 14-0 scoring burst that created a 45-25 cushion with 2:10 remaining before halftime. Southern Illinois responded by cutting the deficit to 47-34 at the break. The visitors managed to knot the score at 64-64 on a four-point play by Drew Steffe with 7:54 left, but Murray State maintained at least a share of the lead throughout and sealed the victory down the stretch, converting three of four field goal attempts and six of seven three-point tries in the closing four minutes.
Domon recorded his 11th double-figure scoring output in 13 appearances this season, shooting 4-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. Murray State now holds a 4-0 record when Domon reaches 15 or more points, with victories over George Washington, Bellarmine, Valparaiso, and Southern Illinois.
Brock Vice provided valuable minutes when King encountered early foul issues, grabbing seven boards in just over seven minutes of action while adding four points. Mason Miller connected from beyond the arc, extending his streak to eight consecutive games with a three-pointer, trailing Brayden Shorter’s nine-game run that concluded at Valparaiso.
The Racers recorded 11 assists on 20 first-half baskets and finished with 16 helpers on 29 made field goals. Despite committing 16 turnovers, Murray State’s defense limited Southern Illinois to just 10 points off those miscues.
The current seven-game winning streak represents Murray State’s longest since 2022, when the squad guided by Coach Matt McMahon won 21 straight before falling to Saint Peter’s in NCAA Tournament action. Each of Murray State’s 11 victories this season has featured the Racers reaching 80 points before their opponents. The team’s record stands at 11-2 when scoring 80 or more, with defeats coming only against SMU and Middle Tennessee. Murray State’s 37-point second-half output marked their lowest scoring half of the campaign.
PHOTO COURTESY: Stephen Furst
