(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) – The Murray State Racers captured their tenth straight victory Wednesday night, defeating Evansville 79-69 at the Ford Center to maintain their perfect record in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Racers improved to 14-3 overall and 6-0 in conference action, taking sole possession of first place in the MVC standings after Belmont defeated Northern Iowa 78-65 and Valparaiso topped Illinois State 77-71 on the same evening. Murray State will return home Saturday afternoon to host Valparaiso at 3 p.m.
Javon Jackson led all scorers with 22 points, marking his seventh 20-point performance of the season. Roman Domon recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while JJ Traynor contributed 12 points in the winning effort.
The game turned in Murray State’s favor during the closing minutes of the opening half. After trailing by four points with under five minutes remaining before intermission, the Racers closed the period with a 14-6 surge to establish a 42-30 halftime advantage. The run featured strong defensive pressure that created turnovers, leading to a deep three-pointer from Domon followed by a backdoor dunk. Murray State connected on its final five field goal attempts of the half.
The second period proved more competitive, with officials calling 11 combined fouls before the first media timeout. Evansville mounted a comeback, cutting the deficit to a single point at 60-59 with 8:41 remaining. However, the Racers responded with another strong push, eventually building the lead back to 14 points when Traynor connected on his second three-pointer of the contest with 1:45 left on the clock.
The victory improved Murray State’s record against Evansville to 7-1 since joining the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 2022-23 season. The Racers now hold a 34-15 advantage in the all-time series between the programs.
Murray State’s current 10-game winning streak ranks as the longest active streak in the MVC and sits tenth nationally. The stretch marks the 23rd time in the program’s 101-year history that the Racers have compiled a winning streak of at least 10 games. The team has now won three consecutive road contests.
Mason Miller maintained his streak of games with at least one three-pointer, extending it to 11 consecutive contests. Jackson has now scored in double figures in 15 of 17 games this season.
The Racers will look to extend their winning streak when they welcome Valparaiso to town this weekend.
PHOTO: MSU Athletics
