Murray State pulled off an 88-79 upset over Texas A&M Thursday night in the Myrtle Beach Invitational
The Racers were in control much of the game, including a 53-point second half.
With the win, Murray State advances to Friday’s semifinal round against UMass.
Here’s a recap from MSU:
First big win of the @CoachProhm era
First win over a ranked team since 2012
First win over a SEC team since 2012
Postgame Celebration pic.twitter.com/HQM4ReOEOE
— Murray State MBB (@RacersHoops) November 18, 2022
The Murray State Racers put together a gritty performance Thursday in a wire-to-wire 88-79 win over the No. 24 ranked Texas A&M Aggies (2-1) in the first game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational at HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina.
The Racers (2-1) move into Friday’s semifinals against the UMass Minutemen with a 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time tip on ESPN2. UMass (2-1) defeated Colorado 66-63.
MSU’s 53-point second half was fueled by a trio of double-figure scorers in JaCobi Wood, who posted a career-high 23 points, while Kenny White, Jr. added 18 points. MSU also got 17 points from Jamari Smith and 12 from Rob Perry.
MSU shot a blistering 50 percent in the second half on 25-of-50 from the field, including 10-of-22 from the 3-point line. Leading by eight at the 5:00 mark, the Racers hit 16-of-18 from the free throw line to hold off the Aggies for their first win over a Southeastern Conference foe since they defeated Auburn in the 2012 Charleston Classic.
The win for MSU marks their first over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 since beating Saint Mary’s (CA) at home in 2012 with Dick Vitale in attendance and calling the game with Dave O’Brien on ESPN.
Game Notes
o The Racers had 10 fast break points in the first half and 24 for the game.
o MSU was great at the end of the game from the free throw line and finished 28-of-36 for 78 percent. Perry and Wood and DJ Burns combined for 17-of-17.
o JaCobi Wood’s 23 points surpassed his previous career-high of 21 points at Belmont: vs UT Martin 01/09/21 and vs Howard 11/26/20.
o Wood’s stat line was impressive: 37:12 minutes/5-9FG/4-8(3pt)/9-9FT/2R/4A.
o Wood’s 9-of-9 from the free throw line is the best for a Racer since Ja Morant set the MSU record of 21-of-21 vs SIUE (01-19-2019).
o Today’s 63-points combined in the first half (TAMU led 35-28) was the lowest scoring first half with the Racers leading since a game at home (01-29-22) vs Morehead State when there were 61 points scored and the Racers in front 33-28. The Racers won that game at home 77-66.
o Murray State Coach Steve Prohm is now 4-0 at the HTC Center. His Iowa State team won and event in 2017 at HTC going 3-0.
o The Racers and UMass will be meeting for the first time on Tuesday.
o UMass is the second team from the Atlantic-10 the Racers have faced this season, after meeting Saint Louis in the opener (Nov. 7).
MURRAY STATE TAKES DOWN NO. 24 TEXAS A&M
The Racers fend off a late rally to move on to the Semifinals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational pic.twitter.com/ConK2RdMor
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 17, 2022
