(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The Murray State Racers saw their impressive 12-game winning streak come to an end Wednesday night, falling 101-90 to the Drake Bulldogs at the Knapp Center. Despite the setback, the Racers maintained their position atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with an 8-1 conference record and 16-4 overall mark.
Javon Jackson led Murray State with 20 points in the defeat, continuing his remarkable consistency from beyond the arc. Roman Domon contributed a double-double performance with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Brock Vice and JJ Traynor each added 12 points to the Racers’ offensive effort.
The contest remained competitive through the first half, with Murray State trailing by just three points at the intermission. The Racers managed to knot the score early in the second half on a pair of free throws by Fred King, but they were unable to seize the lead against the home team. Drake eventually pulled away, building a 14-point advantage with just over nine minutes remaining to hand the Racers their first conference loss of the campaign.
The defeat splits the season series between the two teams after Murray State claimed an 81-72 victory in their first meeting in Murray on December 18. Jackson’s three-pointer extended his consecutive games streak with a made shot from deep to 123 contests, marking his 10th game this season reaching the 20-point threshold. The performance represents his 24th career 20-point outing and his fifth consecutive game scoring at least 20 points.
Domon’s double-double marked the third of his career with the Racers. Vice enjoyed his finest performance in his 23 games with the program, shooting an efficient four-of-five from the field while connecting on his third three-pointer of the season and pulling down four rebounds. Layne Taylor also maintained his hot shooting, extending his streak of games with a made three-pointer to seven.
The loss marked just the third occasion this season that Murray State has fallen short despite scoring 80 or more points, with their only defeats coming against SMU, Middle Tennessee, and now Drake. The Racers’ winning streak represented the 23rd instance in the program’s 101-year history of achieving at least 10 consecutive victories and tied for the 11th longest run in school records.
Murray State will look to bounce back as they continue their road swing through Iowa, traveling to Cedar Falls to face Northern Iowa on Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
PHOTO COURTESY-MSU Athletics
