Box Score

MURRAY, Ky. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team stuck around for 35 minutes on Thursday night, but No. 14 Murray State had too much in the tank in pulling out a 66-55 win over the Gamecocks in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Gamecocks (6-13, 1-5 OVC) controlled the tempo for much of the night but seemed to run out of gas in the final minutes, while the Racers (17-0, 5-0 OVC) pulled away to remain one of just three unbeaten teams in the nation. It gave MSU its best start in program history, surpassing the 1935-36 team's previous record of 16-0.

Sophomore Brian Williams scored 18 points to lead a trio of Gamecocks that scored in double figures, giving him double figures for the fourth-straight game. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native also grabbed four rebounds on a night that saw him go 6-for-19 from the floor.

Juniors Ronnie Boggs and Mason Leggett scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, to round out that trio, the only three players in red jerseys to score more than four in the game. Boggs, a native of Kansas City, Mo., went 5-for-5 from the floor and 3-for-5 from the free throw line.

In a game that saw JSU limit Murray State's leading scorer, Isaiah Canaan to 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting, it was another guard that stepped up and filled in for the league's second-best scorer. Donte Poole used a 12-for-14 effort from the charity stripe to account for just over half of his game-high 21 points, one off his career high. Birmingham native Ed Daniel added 11 points and led all players with nine rebounds.

Murray State overcame a 21-12 JSU advantage on the glass in the first half to win the rebounding battle, 36-32. Latreze Mushatt added eight boards, while Daniel blocked three shots inside. The Racers were playing without leading rebounder Ivan Aska, who is sidelined with a broken bone in his hand.

The Racers, who lead the OVC in 3-point field goal percentage, shot just 18 percent in the game but made 11 more free throws in an 11-point game.

The Gamecocks controlled the tempo of the first half, slowing it down and limiting the Racers to a .348 shooting percentage and outrebounded them 21-12. JSU shot just barely better from the floor but an 8-for-12 MSU half from the free throw line was the difference in a 25-23 halftime lead.

Murray State led by as many as eight in the first half but JSU slowly nipped away at the lead before drawing even on a Ronnie Boggs dunk that tied the score at 27-27 with just under 19 minutes to play.

The two exchanged buckets before a 6-0 Murray run created a little separation that carried the Racers the rest of the way. JSU hung in there for most of the way before a late run put the Racers' lead in double figures for the first time with just over five minutes to play.

JSU will travel to Clarksville, Tenn., on Saturday, when they will take on Austin Peay at 7:30 p.m., in the second game of a doubleheader that will start with the JSU and APSU women's teams playing at 5:15 p.m. Both games will be carried live on the Gamecock Sports Network with Mike Parris calling the action.