Photo by Dave Winder, MSU Athletics
RACERS MOVE TO 3-0 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1998
A Preston Rice to LaMartez Brooks touchdown pass with 2:36 remaining gave Murray State the lead and a Davontae McKee interception in the final minute sealed the win as the Racers defeated Tennessee Tech, 36-31 yesterday in Cookeville. The Racers forced four turnovers and had pick sixes from Eric Samuta and Quinaz Turner. The Racers also got a pair of touchdown runs by Demonta Witherspoon and a 55-yard field goal by Aaron Baum in moving to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 1998. Brooks’ late score gave him 10 catches on the day and a game high 115 receiving yards. Alec Long led the Racer defense with 12 tackles. The Racers had fewer yards and less possession time, but winning the turnover batter was a key to victory according to head coach Dean Hood. With a share of first place with Jacksonville State, the Racers return home this Sunday to face Tennessee State in a 2 pm game. We will talk Racer football tonight at 6 on the Hey Coach Show, live on Froggy. In other football OVC games yesterday:
Tennessee State 21, Eastern Illinois 20
#10 Jacksonville State 37, UT Martin 20
Austin Peay 49, Southeast Missouri 42 (2OT)
RACER SOFTBALL TAKES EKU SERIES
Murray State softball split a home twinbill against Eastern Kentucky yesterday afternoon, earning a 7-3 victory in the first game before falling 4-1 in game two. Lexi Jones, Sierra Gilmore, and Lily Fischer each drove in 2 runs in the Racers Game one win as the Racers took two of three from the Colonels in the series to improve to 4-2 in OVC play. The Racers are outside of league play on Wednesday when they host Memphis at 3 pm.
MSU VOLLEYBALL TAKES DOWN EIU
Murray State volleyball downed Eastern Illinois 3-1 last night on Senior Night at Racer Arena. The scores were 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-12. The freshmen trio of Jayla Holcombe, Darci Metzger, and Taylor Beasley combined for 37 of the team’s 55 kills on the night. Callie Anderton tallied 47 assists while Becca Fernandez collected 22 digs. EIU fell to 1-10 on the season while Murray State improved to 5-6. The teams play again today at 4 at Racer Arena.
CALLOWAY GIRLS AND MURRAY BOYS PLAY FOR DISTRICT TITLES
In the opening round of the 4th District Basketball Tournament at the CFSB Center on Saturday, Calloway County needed overtime for a 56-52 win over Murray High. Skylar Waller led Calloway with 17 points. The Lady Lakers will play Marshall County in the championship game tonight with coverage beginning at 5:15 on 104.5 WBZB. In the boys game, Grant Whitaker scored 16 points to lead Murray High over Calloway County 61-47. The Tiger boys will face Marshall County for the title tonight with coverage beginning at 7:30 on WNBS AM and FM.
MOREHEAD TO PLAY WEST VIRGINIA IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Morehead State men’s basketball team will be a No. 14 seed and play No. 3 seed West Virginia in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The game will be played Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with an approximate 8:50 pm tip time on TruTV. Tennessee is seeded fifth in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region and will play 12th-seeded Oregon State ON Friday. Louisville is turning down a NIT bid after being snubbed for the NCAA Tournament field of 68. Louisville is the first team on the replacement list should a team bow out by tomorrow night. Memphis will continue its season in the NIT and will play Dayton in the first round this Saturday. Western Kentucky is also in the NIT and will play Saint Mary’s on Wednesday in Frisco, Texas.
EDWARDS IN 4TH AFTER ROUND ONE OF BOBBY NICHOLS INVITE
The Murray State men’s golf team carded a first round 3-under 285 at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate in Sevierville, Tennessee, but trail first place Morehead State by six shots. MSU’s Avery Edwards had a 4-under-par 68 and was in fourth place, while Conner Coombs’ 71 was good for a spot in 13th place in the field of 77 players. Round 2 is being played today.
KABC AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches has announced the recipients of the 2021 KABC Region 1 Player and Coach of the Year awards, as voted on by member coaches. On the boys ledger, Noah Dumas of McCracken County and Zion Harmon of Marshall County share Region 1 Player of the Year honors. The Region 1 Coach of the Year is Greg Overstreet of Paducah Tilghman. On the girls side, Marshall County’s Cayson Conner was named Region 1 Player of the Year while the Region 1 Coach of the Year award went to Graves County’s Lyndon Dunning.
GRIZZLIES FALL TO OKC
The Memphis Grizzlies blew a 12-point fourth quarter lead and lost 128-122 to the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Ja Morant scored 22 points and Dillon Brooks 19 in defeat. Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 14 boards for Memphis, which falls to 17-and-18. The Griz play the Suns tonight in Phoenix.
CARDINALS LOSE
The Cardinals suffered a 7-5 defeat to the Mets at Clover Park. José Rondón drove in three for St. Louis and Garrett Williams was tagged with the loss. The Cards host the Nationals today in a game that airs at 11:55 this morning on WNBS AM and FM
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
Gonzaga will be the top overall seed for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Bulldogs are unbeaten this season at 26-and-0. Baylor, Illinois, and Michigan have been assigned the other number-one seeds by the selection committee. The First Four will be played Thursday.
Martin Truex Jr. is going home a winner in the desert. Truex Jr. held off Joey Logano in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix. Logano finished second while Denny Hamlin took third. There have now been five different winners in five races this season. Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five.
Justin Thomas is the winner of The PLAYERS Championship. He carded a four-under 68 on Sunday to finish at 14-under par at TPC Sawgrass. Lee Westwood finished one stroke back in second. Brian Harman and Bryson DeChambeau tied for third at 12-under.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees is calling it a career. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer announced his retirement from the NFL after 20 seasons. Brees had his kids reveal the news in a video posted on Instagram. Brees retires as the NFL’s all-time passing yards leader.
The Packers are locking up star running back Aaron Jones long-term. His agent tells ESPN that Jones has agreed to a four-year, 48-million dollar contract that includes a 13-million dollar signing bonus. Green Bay elected not to place the franchise tag on Jones last week.
SUNDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NBA
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Oklahoma City Thunder 128, Memphis Grizzlies 122
Golden State Warriors 131, Utah Jazz 119
Philadelphia 76ers 134, San Antonio Spurs 99
Miami Heat 102, Orlando Magic 97
Atlanta Hawks 100, Cleveland Cavaliers 82
Boston Celtics 134, Houston Rockets 107
Minnesota Timberwolves 114, Portland Trail Blazers 112
Chicago Bulls 118, Toronto Raptors 95
New Orleans Pelicans 135, LA Clippers 115
NHL
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Minnesota Wild 4, Arizona Coyotes 1
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Detroit Red Wings 1
Dallas Stars 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1 (SO)
New York Islanders 3, New Jersey Devils 2 (SO)
Colorado Avalanche 4, Los Angeles Kings 1
Ottawa Senators 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 3
MLB Grapefruit League
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Detroit Tigers 5, Baltimore Orioles 1
Atlanta Braves 8, Tampa Bay Rays 7
Boston Red Sox 5, Minnesota Twins 5 (F/8)
Houston Astros 5, Washington Nationals 0
Philadelphia Phillies 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 5
New York Yankees 5, Toronto Blue Jays 1
New York Mets 7, St. Louis Cardinals 5
MLB Cactus League
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Los Angeles Angels 1, Chicago Cubs 1
Texas Rangers 3, Colorado Rockies 1
San Diego Padres 10, Cincinnati Reds 4
Chicago White Sox 1, Oakland Athletics 0
Seattle Mariners 5, Milwaukee Brewers 4 (F/8)
San Francisco Giants 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 3
Kansas City Royals 8, Los Angeles Dodgers 4
Top-25 College Basketball (Coaches’ Poll)
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#3 Illinois Fighting Illini 91, #10 Ohio State Buckeyes 88 (OT) (Big Ten – Final)
#7 Houston Cougars 91, Cincinnati Bearcats 54 (AAC – Final)
#5 Alabama Crimson Tide 80, LSU Tigers 79 (SEC – Final)
NASCAR Instacart 500 (at Avondale, AZ)
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1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Joey Logano
3. Denny Hamlin
PGA The PLAYERS Championship (at Ponte Vedra Beach, FL)
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1. Justin Thomas (-14)
2. Lee Westwood (-13)
T3. Brian Harman (-12)
T3. Bryson DeChambeau (-12)
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
NBA
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7:00 p.m. – Sacramento Kings at Charlotte Hornets
7:00 p.m. – Milwaukee Bucks at Washington Wizards
8:00 p.m. – New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
8:00 p.m. – San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons
9:00 p.m. – LA Clippers at Dallas Mavericks
9:00 p.m. – Indiana Pacers at Denver Nuggets
10:00 p.m. – Memphis Grizzlies at Phoenix Suns
10:30 p.m. – Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
NHL
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4:00 p.m. – Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning
7:00 p.m. – Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers
7:00 p.m. – Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers
7:00 p.m. – Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins
7:00 p.m. – Vancouver Canucks at Ottawa Senators
7:00 p.m. – Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres
8:00 p.m. – Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets
9:00 p.m. – Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames
10:00 p.m. – San Jose Sharks at Vegas Golden Knights
10:00 p.m. – St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings
MLB Grapefruit League
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1:05 p.m. – Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
1:05 p.m. – Miami Marlins at Houston Astros
1:05 p.m. – Minnesota Twins at Atlanta Braves
1:05 p.m. – Philadelphia Phillies at New York Yankees
1:05 p.m. – Pittsburgh Pirates at Baltimore Orioles
1:05 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays at Detroit Tigers
1:05 p.m. – Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals
MLB Cactus League
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4:05 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
4:05 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians
4:05 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals
4:10 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Seattle Mariners
4:10 p.m. – Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Angels
4:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies
4:10 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers
Top-25 College Basketball (Coaches’ Poll)
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No Games Scheduled
