Morant scores 29 and Murray State routs Eastern Illinois
Morant goes for 27 points in win vs. Eastern Illinois
Ja Morant drops 27 points and 9 assists as he leads Murray State to and 83-71 win over Eastern Illinois.
CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Ja Morant scored 29 points, 20 of his team's 48 in the first half, and Murray State routed Eastern Illinois 83-61 on Thursday night.
Morant, a sophomore guard averaging 23.1 points and a nation-best 10.7 assists per game, had nine assists and made 11-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-5 3-pointers. Shaq Buchanan added 17 points and eight rebounds, and KJ Williams had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Racers (14-2, 5-0 Ohio Valley).
Mack Smith led the Panthers (10-8, 3-2) with 22 points. Shareef Smith added 13 points and Rade Kukobat scored 12.
The Racers had runs of 15-2 and 12-5 in the first half and led 48-29 at the break. Eastern Illinois would get only as close as 15 points in the second half.
Murray State shot 52 percent and had a 48-32 advantage in rebounds.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Stephen Divine
- Bobby Daw
- Scott Tierney
2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Indiana State | 17-3 | - | 32-7 |
Drake | 16-4 | 1 | 28-7 |
Bradley | 13-7 | 4 | 23-12 |
Belmont | 12-8 | 5 | 20-13 |
Northern Iowa | 12-8 | 5 | 19-14 |
Southern Illinois | 11-9 | 6 | 19-13 |
Illinois State | 9-11 | 8 | 15-17 |
Murray State | 9-11 | 8 | 12-20 |
Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 17-16 |
Evansville | 6-14 | 11 | 17-18 |
UIC | 4-16 | 13 | 12-21 |
Valparaiso | 3-17 | 14 | 7-25 |
2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Morehead State | 14-4 | - | 26-9 |
UT Martin | 14-4 | - | 21-11 |
Little Rock | 14-4 | - | 21-13 |
Western Illinois | 13-5 | 1 | 21-12 |
Tennessee State | 10-8 | 4 | 18-15 |
SIU Edwardsville | 9-9 | 5 | 17-16 |
Eastern Illinois | 8-10 | 6 | 14-18 |
Tennessee Tech | 5-13 | 9 | 10-21 |
Southern Indiana | 5-13 | 9 | 8-24 |
Southeast Missouri State | 4-14 | 10 | 9-22 |
Lindenwood | 3-15 | 11 | 9-22 |