Racers win 7th straight, hold off SIU 84-81

Javon Jackson had 19 points in Murray State’s 84-81 win against Southern Illinois on Monday.

The Racers had a 7-point lead with 1:31 to go, but the Salukis cut it to 2 with :38 left, then again with 3 seconds remaining. Javon Jackson and KJ Tenner sank free throws to ice the win for Murray State.

Jackson shot 6 of 11 from the field, including 3 for 7 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line for the Racers (11-3, 3-0 Missouri Valley Conference). JJ Traynor added 16 points while shooting 6 for 7, including 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, and had nine rebounds. Roman Domon shot 4 of 8 from the field and 4 for 5 from the line to finish with 13 points. The Racers extended their winning streak to seven games.

The Salukis (6-8, 0-3) were led by Prince Aligbe, who recorded 19 points and nine rebounds. Southern Illinois also got 15 points and two steals from Quel’Ron House, and Rolyns Aligbe had 11 points.

Domon put up 11 points in the first half for Murray State, who led 47-34 at halftime. Murray State took the lead for good with 7:40 remaining in the second half on a layup from Fredrick King to make it a 66-64 game.

The Racers will be in Chicago on New Year's night for a date with the UIC Flames, then return to Murray for a Sunday afternoon tip with Bradley on Jan. 4.