Murray State beats Southern Illinois 80-52

Dec 13, 2018, 03:02 am

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Ja Morant scored 23 points, distributed 13 assists and grabbed five rebounds, Tevin Brown added a career-high 20 poins with 6 of 11 3-pointers, and Murray State beat regional rival Southern Illinois 80-52 on Wednesday night to win its third straight.

Brion Whitley added a career-high 10 and KJ Williams blocked two shots and scored 10 points for the Racers (6-1), who made 11 of 26 3-pointers and held the Salukis to 31 percent shooting.

The Racers hit three 3-pointers in their opening 13-5 run and Murray State pulled away on 20-3 run capped by Brown's 3 and led 49-18 at halftime.

It's the lowest amount of points the Racers have allowed in a half since giving up 16 points to SIU Edwardsville on Feb. 12, 2015.

Williams dunked for a 59-29 Murray State lead early in the second half and the Racers led 75-45 with 4:30 to play after scoring seven straight.

Eric McGill scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Aaron Cook added 14 points and Sean Lloyd Jr. scored 11 for Southern Illinois (7-4), which saw its five-game win streak end.