Murray State Extends Winning Streak to Eight with Dominant Victory Over Bradley
MURRAY, Ky. — The Murray State Racers continued their impressive run on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Bradley Braves 86-66 at the CFSB Center to push their winning streak to eight games and maintain a perfect 5-0 record in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Racers improved to 13-3 overall while extending their home winning streak to 10 consecutive games. A season-high crowd of 5,165 fans witnessed the performance, which was broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Javon Jackson paced Murray State with 20 points, marking his sixth 20-point outing of the season. Mathis Courbon delivered a standout performance off the bench, scoring a career-best 16 points while connecting on four of his five attempts from beyond the arc. Fred King contributed 11 points, and JJ Traynor added 10 in the balanced offensive attack.
The Racers established control early, building a 28-13 advantage by the first media timeout while shooting 67 percent from the floor. Murray State’s perimeter shooting proved particularly effective in the opening half, as the team drained 10 three-pointers before intermission to take a commanding 50-32 lead into the break. Brock Vice, Layne Taylor, Mason Miller, Jackson, and Traynor combined for six triples during a decisive 7-15 stretch late in the first period.
Bradley never threatened in the second half, getting no closer than 14 points as Murray State maintained its comfortable margin.
The Racers dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Braves 45-33 for their largest rebounding advantage of the season. Murray State also delivered an exceptional defensive performance, holding Bradley to 33 percent shooting overall and limiting MVC leading scorer Jaquan Johnson to just four points on two-of-12 shooting.
Murray State connected on 13 three-pointers for the game, with seven different players making shots from distance. Mason Miller extended his streak of consecutive games with a made three-pointer to 10.
The Racers will look to extend their conference winning streak when they travel to face Evansville on Wednesday before returning home to host Valparaiso on Saturday, January 10.
With their ninth consecutive victory, Murray State holds the longest active winning streak in the Missouri Valley Conference as they continue their pursuit of a conference championship.
PHOTO COURTESY-PROF. David Eaton
