Photo by Dave Winder, MSU Athletics
RACER FOOTBALL MOVES TO 4-0 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1995
Preston Rice passed for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another to propel 25th-ranked Murray State past Tennessee State 35-13 yesterday for the program’s first 4-0 start since 1995. The day began with dedication of the new Dennis Jackson Racer Room which honored the life and legacy of the former two-sport star at Murray State who broke the color barrier for Murray State athletics. Once again, the Racer defense sealed the win on a Marvin Pierre interception return for a fourth quarter touchdown. The pick six was the fourth of the season for the Racers, and head coach Dean Hood says the entire defensive unit deserves the credit. Dequan Dallas, Malik Honeycutt, and Rodney Castille also scored touchdowns for the Racers who are in a first place tie in the OVC standings with Jacksonville State. Devon Starling ran for 149 yards on 19 carries to pace 1-3 Tennessee State. The Racers host Eastern Illinois this Sunday at 2. We will talk about the games tonight on Hey Coach with Dean Hood, on their air at 6 on FROGGY 103.7. In other OVC football games yesterday
Eastern Illinois 28,Tennessee Tech 20
UT Martin 37, Austin Peay 34
#8 Jacksonville State 21, Southeast Missouri 3
RACER SOFTBALL COMPLETES SERIES SWEEP
Murray State softball used a four run seventh inning to overcome a 3-1 deficit and claim a 5-4 win at SIUE, completing a three game series sweep that left the Racers 7-2 in OVC games. The five Murray State runs came on six hits, In the circle, Jenna Veber notched her third win of the season in her two-inning relief stint. The Racers will return to action Wednesday when they host Austin Peay in a 2 pm Battle of the Border doubleheader at Racer Field.
RACER VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO TTU
The Murray State volleyball team fell 3-1 to Tennessee Tech last night at Racer Arena. The scores were 25-18, 27-29, 21-25, 23-25. Jayla Holcombe topped the 5-8 Racers with 16 kills and Taylor Beasley hit a career-high 11 kills as the Racers slipped to 5-8 in the OVC. The teams play again at 4 today at Racer Arena.
RACER WOMEN PLACE 7TH IN GULF SHORES
The Murray State women’s golf team fired a 308 for a seventh place finish at the Bama Beach Bash in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Racers finished at 927 for the three-day event, with South Alabama the winner at 891. MSU’s Ana Garcia Picchi placed 8th with a 225. Up next for the Racers is the Chattanooga Invitational, beginning March 29.
RACER BASEBALL TAKES SERIES FROM JSU
On Saturday, Murray State baseball team used an 11-0 win in the second game of a doubleheader to take 2 of 3 from Jacksonville State over the weekend series after falling in the opener 16-11. The 10-9 Racers are now 4-2 in the OVC heading into Tuesday afternoon’s game at Arkansas State
RACER SOCCER SUFFERS FIRST LOSS
On Friday, Murray State soccer suffered its first loss of the season, dropping a 2-1 decision at Jacksonville State. The Racers return home tomorrow to face Tennessee Tech at 3 pm.
RACER WOMEN COMPETE IN CARBONDALE
The Murray State women’s track & field team opened its 2021 outdoor track & field season at the Bill Cornell Invite in Carbondale, Illinois. Four athletes rank in the Top 20 in the East Region from their performances over the weekend. Emma Creviston and Dani Wright finished one-two in the steeplechase event. The Racers host their annual Margaret Simmons Invite this weekend on the Marshall Gage Track inside Stewart Stadium with throwing events taking place at Hamilton Field.
CALLOWAY GIRLS ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS
Elle Carson scored 25 points aided by a 10 for 10 night at the charity stripe as Calloway County edged Carlisle County 49-45 in the opening round of the girls Region 1 Tournament on Saturday at the CFSB Center. The 19-6 Lady Lakers will face 14-7 McCracken County in Thursday night’s 8 pm semi final, right after the 5:30 game between Marshall County and Graves County.
BOYS REGION 1 TOURNAMENT BEGINS TONIGHT
First round action of the boys Region 1 Tournament begins tonight at the CSCB Center with Carlisle County taking on Paducah Tilghman at 5:30, followed by 15-7 Murray High facing 11-8 Mayfield at 8 pm. Coverage for that one begins at 7:30 on WNBS AM and FM.
CARTER ENTERS PORTAL, GILMORE FOREGOES BONUS YEAR
Movement continues within the Murray State men’s basketball program. After Brion Whitley and Demond Robinson entered the transfer portal earlier last week, Chico Carter Junior entered the portal on Friday wile lone senior Devin Gilmore elected to not return for a COVID bonus year and pursue professional opportunities. That leaves the Racer men’s program with four open scholarship slots at this point.
KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE ADVANCE IN WOMEN’S TOURNEY
Tennessee and Kentucky won their opening-round NCAA Women’s Tournament games. Third-seeded Tennessee bested Middle Tennessee 87-62. Fourth-seeded Kentucky clipped Idaho State 71-63. Second-seeded Louisville opens with Marist tonight. All games are in Texas with the Final Four at the Alamodome.
MOREHEAD BOUNCED FROM MEN’S TOURNAMENT
There are no teams from Kentucky left in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Only Morehead State made the field. The Eagles were bounced from the tournament by West Virginia on Friday night, 84-67 and finished the season 23-and-8.
AREA HOCKEY ROUNDUP
On the ice, the Nashville Predators picked up a 4-3 shootout win over the Stars in Dallas yesterday. After an eight-game trip, the Predators return home tomorrow night to face Detroit. The St. Louis Blues are on the road again tonight for a game with the Vegas Golden Knights.
GRIZZLIES HOST CELTICS
The Grizzlies will welcome the Boston Celtics to Memphis tonight. The Grizz are coming off a win Saturday against the Warriors to get to 19-and-20. Memphis will open a four-game road trip on Wednesday.
NIT UPDATE
Memphis and Western Kentucky have advanced to the NIT quarterfinals and both will play Thursday in Frisco, Texas. The Tigers, who beat Dayton on Saturday, will meet Boise State next. The Hilltoppers will face Louisiana Tech in their upcoming game. All NIT games are in the Dallas area.
SIUE FIRES BUSCHER
SIUE director of athletics Tim Hall announced Thursday that Paula Buscher will not return for a 10th season as head women’s basketball coach. The Cougars finished 6-19 last season with a 3-17 record in the OVC. That came after the 2018-19 season ended at 3-26 and 1-17 in the conference. Buscher won at a .643 winning percentage (63-35) in the OVC in her first six seasons, but dropped to 12-44 the last three years.
CARDINALS FACE MARLINS TODAY
The St. Louis Cardinals are set to play the Miami Marlins today at their shared park in Jupiter, Florida. The Cardinals were off on Sunday and have won five of their last eight games, while Miami beat Houston yesterday and have won three of their last five. Right-hander Jack Flaherty is scheduled to start for the Cards with first pitch at 12:05 p.m.
BETTING LICENSE SUSPENDED FOR ACTION 24/7
There’s one less option to place online sports bets in Tennessee. The Tennessee Lottery has suspended the sports betting license of Action 24/7 and says its license will remain suspended until Lottery staff receives sufficient verification that minimum internal control standards are in place to prevent potential illegal activity. Action 24/7 says its license was suspended due to “suspicious player deposit activity.” Action 24/7 says the suspicious activity was detected quickly and it took swift action, suspending the accounts involved.
FORMER TITAN CUT
Former Titans’ 2020 first round draft pick Isaiah Wilson is out of a job. The Miami Dolphins waived Wilson on Saturday, just three days after trading for him. After being dealt to the Dolphins, Wilson showed up late for his physical, was late for his team orientation and skipped two workouts. The former Georgia star had numerous problems while with the Titans, playing just a few snaps last season before the team ended his year so he could deal with personal problems.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
In the NCAA Tournament, top-seeded Illinois lost 71-58 to eighth-seeded Loyola-Chicago, three-seed West Virginia fell 75-72 to 11th-seeded Syracuse, number-15 Oral Roberts upset seventh-seeded Florida 81-78, and number-12 Oregon State beat fourth-seeded Oklahoma State 80-70.
The season is likely over for Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. The team says an MRI revealed a fracture in his right wrist and Ball is out indefinitely. The favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year honors was hurt during Saturday’s loss to the Clippers in LA. Ball is averaging 15.9 points.
The Royals are locking up catcher Salvador Perez. The two sides have agreed to a four-year contract extension through 2025 worth a reported 82-million dollars. Perez is a six-time All-Star who was the AL Comeback Player of the Year last season after hitting a career-high .313.
Tiger Woods didn’t apply the brakes during his recent SUV mishap. TMZ reports investigators think Woods never even took his foot off the gas pedal when he veered off the road near San Pedro last month. The crash left Woods with serious leg injuries that required surgery.
Ryan Blaney surged ahead late to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It’s the first win of the season for Blaney, who was able to hold off Kyle Larson. Alex Bowman took third, while Denny Hamlin was fourth. Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five.
Matt Jones carded a final-round, two-under 68 to finish at 12-under par and win The Honda Classic by five shots. Brandon Hagy took second at seven-under, with five others tied for third at minus-six. His first Tour win in seven years earns Jones a spot in The Masters.
SUNDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NBA
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Indiana Pacers 109, Miami Heat 106 (OT)
Oklahoma City Thunder 114, Houston Rockets 112
New Orleans Pelicans 113, Denver Nuggets 108
Boston Celtics 112, Orlando Magic 96
Brooklyn Nets 113, Washington Wizards 106
Cleveland Cavaliers 116, Toronto Raptors 105
Chicago Bulls 100, Detroit Pistons 86
Philadelphia 76ers 101, New York Knicks 100 (OT)
Phoenix Suns 111, Los Angeles Lakers 94
Dallas Mavericks 132, Portland Trail Blazers 92
NHL
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New Jersey Devils 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (OT)
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, Florida, Panthers 3
Los Angeles Kings 3, Vegas Golden Knights 1
Nashville Predators 4, Dallas Stars 3 (SO)
MLB Grapefruit League
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Atlanta Braves 11, Tampa Bay Rays 1
Detroit Tigers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Miami Marlins 4, Houston Astros 2
Minnesota Twins 12, Baltimore Orioles 7
New York Mets 6, Washington Nationals 2
Pittsburgh Pirates 9, Boston Red Sox 4
New York Yankees 8, Toronto Blue Jays 3
MLB Cactus League
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Chicago Cubs 11, Cincinnati Reds 6
Kansas City Royals 6, Colorado Rockies 1
San Francisco Giants 10, Los Angeles Dodgers 4
Cleveland Indians 7, Texas Rangers 2
San Diego Padres 4, Los Angeles Angels 1
Chicago White Sox 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 4
Seattle Mariners 3, Milwaukee Brewers 1
NCAA Tournament
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#8 Loyola Chicago Ramblers 71, #1 Illinois Fighting Illini 58
#1 Baylor Bears 76, #9 Wisconsin Badgers 63
#11 Syracuse Orange 75, #3 West Virginia Mountaineers 72
#3 Arkansas Razorbacks 68, #6 Texas Tech Red Raiders 66
#2 Houston Cougars 63, #10 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 60
#15 Oral Robers Golden Eagles 81, #7 Florida Gators 78
#5 Villanova Wildcats 84, #13 North Texas Mean Green 61
#12 Oregon State Beavers 80, #4 Oklahoma State Cowboys 70
PGA The Honda Classic
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1. Matt Jones (-12)
2. Brandon Hagy (-7)
3. Five others tied (-6)
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
NBA
——
7:30 p.m. – Sacramento Kings at Cleveland Cavaliers
8:00 p.m. – Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
8:30 p.m. – Charlotte Hornets at San Antonio Spurs
9:00 p.m. – Utah Jazz at Chicago Bulls
9:00 p.m. – Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets
9:00 p.m. – Boston Celtics at Memphis Grizzlies
9:00 p.m. – Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks
10:00 p.m. – Atlanta Hawks at LA Clippers
NHL
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7:00 p.m. – Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers
7:00 p.m. – Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets
7:00 p.m. – Edmonton Oilers at Montreal Canadiens
7:00 p.m. – Calgary Flames at Ottawa Senators
7:00 p.m. – New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers
7:30 p.m. – Anaheim Ducks at Minnesota Wild
10:00 p.m. – Winnipeg Jets at Vancouver Canucks
10:00 p.m. – Colorado Avalanche at Arizona Coyotes
10:00 p.m. – St. Louis Blues at Vegas Golden Knights
10:30 p.m. – Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks
MLB Grapefruit League
——
1:05 p.m. – Atlanta Braves at Minnesota Twins
1:05 p.m. – Baltimore Orioles at Pittsburgh Pirates
1:05 p.m. – Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
1:05 p.m. – New York Mets at Houston Astros
1:05 p.m. – St. Louis Cardinals at Miami Marlins
6:35 p.m. – Philadelphia Phillies at New York Yankees
6:37 p.m. – Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays
MLB Cactus League
——
4:05 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Oakland Athletics
4:05 p.m. – Milwaukee Brewers at Cleveland Indians
4:05 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals
4:05 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Chicago White Sox
4:10 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Angels
4:10 p.m. – Texas Rangers at Colorado Rockies
9:40 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Seattle Mariners
NCAA Tournament (Second Round)
——
12:10 p.m. – #2 Iowa Hawkeyes vs #7 Oregon Ducks (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
2:40 p.m. – #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs #8 Oklahoma Sooners (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
5:15 p.m. – #11 UCLA Bruins vs #14 Abilene Christian (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
6:10 p.m. – #5 Creighton Bluejays vs #13 Ohio Bobcats (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
7:10 p.m. – #1 Michigan Wolverines vs #8 LSU Tigers (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
7:45 p.m. – #4 Florida State Seminoles vs #5 Colorado Buffaloes (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
8:45 p.m. – #2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs #10 Maryland Terrapins (East Region at Indianapolis, IN)
9:40 p.m. – #3 Kansas Jayhawks vs #6 USC Trojans (West Region at Indianapolis, IN)
