Racers overwhelm Salukis 80-52

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois men’s basketball team’s five-game winning streak came to an abrupt end with a 80-52 loss to Murray State on Wednesday night at SIU Arena. The Racers overwhelmed SIU from the tip and had a 49-18 lead at halftime.
“It was probably the most complete first half I’ve ever been a part of in any form in my time in basketball,” Murray State head coach Matt McMahon said. “I thought our guys were really dialed in. We gave up that first 3 to start the game. Ja (Morant) hit back-to-back big 3’s to get us going, and I thought our effort and toughness were really good.”

Murray State’s Ja Morant, a projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, lived up to the hype. In the first half alone, had had 15 points (on 5-6 shooting), nine assists against only one turnover, and three steals. The Racers were 8-of-13 from the 3-point line in the opening frame, led by Tevin Brown (5-for-7).

“I take full responsibility for the preparation of our guys tonight,” SIU head coach Barry Hinson said. “As coaches, we try to find a way to get our guys to compete and get ready for big games. I made a big mistake tonight. I put so much emphasis on Morant and how good we thought he was, and I scared our players. Our guys played scared tonight. It was Military Appreciation Night, and it’s a good quote from Patton: ‘Fear paralyzes all of us.’ We were paralyzed in the first half. Murray had a lot to do with that, but the head coach of the Salukis had more to do with it than Murray.”

Murray (6-1) ended the first half making 11 of its last 12 field goal attempts, while SIU missed 15 of its final 16 shots of the half. The Salukis shot 19.2 percent, the fifth-lowest shooting percentage in a half in school history.

Eric McGill had a big second half for SIU (7-4), scoring 15 of his 19 points after the break. McGill became the first Saluki this season with a double-double, adding 10 rebounds to his 19 points. The closest SIU got in the second half was 21 points, but Murray State responded with a 10-0 run to put any thought of a dramatic comeback out of the question. 

Aaron Cook (14 points) and Sean Lloyd Jr. (11 points) joined McGill in double-figures for SIU. Morant (23 points, 13 assists) and Tevin Brown (20 points, 6-of-11 from the 3-point line) led Murray State. 

The Salukis have a quick turnaround, traveling to No. 14 Buffalo on Saturday. Tip-off against the Bulls, who are undefeated at 9-0, is set for 1 p.m. CT in a game that will be streamed on ESPN+.