Jeffery Moss added 14 points and Justin Seymour came off the bench for 13 for the Racers (8-4).
Daishon Knight hit four 3-pointers and had 26 points for the Redbirds (6-4) while Tony Williams added 14.
Murray State shot 52 percent in the first half but trailed the Redbirds 42-37 as Knight poured in 16 points. Then the Racers hit 17 of 24 shots in the second half to take control.
There were 12 lead changes but Murray State opened the second half with a 14-4 run to take the lead for good, although the margin didn't hit double figures until the final six minutes.
The only other time the two teams met was 43 years ago when Doug Collins scored 29 points for the Redbirds in an 85-74 loss.
