Former Saluki leads Racers past SIU on the road, 74-64

The Murray State Racers powered past the Southern Illinois Salukis Wednesday 74-64 behind a career-high 22 points from former Saluki AJ Ferguson at the Bantera Center in Carbondale.

It was the first win for the Racers at SIU since 2018.

Returning to the face the team he played for in the last two seasons in Carbondale, Ferguson stayed on the floor all 40 minutes for the Racers. He was 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line, to go with a team-high eight rebounds. 

Nick Ellington added 14 points for the Racers on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, with seven rebounds. Kylen Milton reached the 1500-point plateau with an 8-point night.

In the first half, the Racers trailed early by six points, then pushed ahead by six at 34-28 with a minute and a half left, before the intermission, but only held a slim 34-32 lead at the half.

The game was a one- or two-point margin well into the second half, but the Racers finally pulled away on a run of seven straight field goals for a 69-56 advantage. 

The Racers (11-9) are 5-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. They're one of only four teams in the conference with three road wins, after their Iowa sweep of Drake and Northern Iowa.

They'll come home Saturday to the CFSB Center to host the Belmont Bruins in a 3 p.m. tip.



(Photo David Eaton/Murray State Athletics)