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Brown, Williams rally No. 23 Murray St past Morehead St

AP
Feb 12, 2022

MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) KJ Williams didn't worry about fouling out. Nor did No. 23 Murray State wilt with an eight-point deficit to erase as the minutes dwindled.

The Racers just dug in to earn their latest in a string of wins in gutsy fashion.

Tevin Brown made a go-ahead layup with 16 seconds remaining and KJ Williams added two free throws 12 seconds later as Murray State rallied past Morehead State 57-53 Saturday for its 14th consecutive victory.

The Racers (24-2, 14-0 Ohio Valley Conference) trailed 50-42 with 4:24 left before scoring 11 unanswered points to lead 53-50 with 1:01 left as Williams made baskets less than a minute apart. Tray Hollowell's 3-pointer with 36 seconds left tied the game before Brown drove inside for the go-ahead basket and Williams rebounded Ta'Lon Cooper's missed layup with four seconds remaining.

Williams was fouled and knocked down both free throws before making a steal to seal the tense road victory, Murray State's second in three days. He made 8 of 14 shots to finish with 21 points with 12 rebounds.

Pretty impressive considering Williams went to the bench with four fouls at the 7:06 mark.

''Of course, I had four fouls and had to be very careful how aggressively I played,'' Williams said. ''I took that and I got back in and played aggressively, just not fouling. And we came out and got the win.''

Justice Hill added 11 points on 7-of-8 free throw shooting for Murray State, which outscored Morehead State 15-3 to close the game.

Johni Broome had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Morehead State (19-8, 11-3) which had its 20-game home winning streak stopped. The defending OVC champion Eagles had hoped to bounce back from a tough 48-47 loss two days ago at Belmont. but look to finish strong to claim a high seeding for next month's league tournament.

''We missed some easy shots and had some turnovers and have to clean some things up,'' Eagles coach Preston Spradlin said. ''I've got great belief that we're one of the best teams, if not the best, in this league. ... We'll get another opportunity to prove it against those guys.''

Murray State won despite shooting 36% and just 3 of 19 from behind the arc. But the Racers were 2 of 5 after halftime, and those made the difference as they won the final regular-season meeting with Morehead as OVC members. Murray is leaving for the Missouri Valley Conference after this season.

The Racers also got to the foul line, converting 11 of 13 after halftime and 14 of 18 overall. Most importantly, they clamped down on the Eagles and Broome in the final minutes after the 6-foot-10 freshman forward appeared to seize momentum with eight points in a 12-3 run that provided a 45-36 lead.

And like last month's 77-66 win over Morehead State at home, Murray State saved its best for last minutes.

''We did not play well offensively, but Morehead State was a big factor in that,'' Racers coach Matt McMahon said. ''I think we were down nine, and just found a way to get enough stops on the defensive end. And then we just had big-time players step up and make big-time plays those last four minutes.''

ONE LAST WARMUP

The in-state matchup was delayed almost 25 minutes from the scheduled 4 p.m. start because a section of arena lights were slow to come on after Morehead State's player introductions. Both teams didn't waste time waiting for the official start, quickly grabbing basketballs for a brief shootaround to stay sharp.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Murray State figures to gain some spots by staying hot and adding a gut check win.

BIG PICTURE

Murray State: The Racers trailed early because of mistakes and an over-reliance of 3-pointers. They stuck with the plan and whittled down the lead for perhaps their biggest win in a string of triumphs.

Morehead State: The Eagles started 7 of 8 from the field and seemed to make baskets they needed to keep Murray at bay. They suddenly went cold, missing five of their final six shots in the last 4 1/2 minutes as their home streak ended.

UP NEXT

Murray State returns home against Austin Peay on Thursday night.

Morehead State visits UT Martin on Wednesday night.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

1st Half
MURR
Racers
24
MORE
Eagles
28

Time		Play	Score
20:00		KJ Williams vs. Johni Broome (DJ Burns gains possession)
19:43	+3	Carter Collins makes three point jump shot (Justice Hill assists)	3-0
19:26		Tray Hollowell turnover (bad pass) (KJ Williams steals)
19:06		Justice Hill misses two point jump shot
19:04		Carter Collins offensive rebound
18:55		Carter Collins misses two point jump shot
18:53		Johni Broome defensive rebound
18:40	+3	Jake Wolfe makes three point jump shot (Tray Hollowell assists)	3-3
18:14	+2	Carter Collins makes two point driving layup	5-3
17:39	+3	Jake Wolfe makes three point jump shot (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)	5-6
17:15		Tevin Brown misses three point jump shot
17:13		Johni Broome defensive rebound
17:05	+3	Skyelar Potter makes three point jump shot (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)	5-9
16:42		Tevin Brown turnover (lost ball) (Ta'Lon Cooper steals)
16:28		Skyelar Potter misses three point jump shot
16:26		KJ Williams defensive rebound
16:13		Justice Hill offensive foul (Skyelar Potter draws the foul)
16:13		Justice Hill turnover
15:46	+2	Tray Hollowell makes two point jump shot	5-11
15:18		Carter Collins misses three point jump shot
15:16		Jaylon Hall defensive rebound
14:59	+2	Jake Wolfe makes two point floating jump shot	5-13
14:32		Justice Hill misses three point jump shot
14:30		Ta'Lon Cooper defensive rebound
14:22		Ta'Lon Cooper turnover (bad pass) (KJ Williams steals)
14:13		KJ Williams misses three point jump shot
14:11		Justice Hill offensive rebound
14:05		DJ Burns misses two point layup
14:03		KJ Williams offensive rebound
13:57	+2	KJ Williams makes two point layup	7-13
13:39	+2	Jake Wolfe makes two point layup	7-15
13:07	+2	Justice Hill makes two point floating jump shot	9-15
12:45		Tray Hollowell turnover (bad pass) (DJ Burns steals)
12:38		DJ Burns turnover (bad pass)
12:38		TV timeout
12:24		LJ Bryan offensive foul (DaQuan Smith draws the foul)
12:24		LJ Bryan turnover
12:14		Tevin Brown misses three point jump shot
12:12		Trae Hannibal offensive rebound
12:03	+2	Trae Hannibal makes two point layup	11-15
11:55		Jaylen Sebree turnover (lost ball) (KJ Williams steals)
11:45	+2	KJ Williams makes two point dunk	13-15
11:25		Jaylon Hall turnover (traveling)
11:24		TV timeout
11:10		Tevin Brown misses three point jump shot
11:08		Racers offensive rebound
11:05		Trae Hannibal offensive foul (Skyelar Potter draws the foul)
11:05		Trae Hannibal turnover
10:43	+3	Jaylon Hall makes three point jump shot (Johni Broome assists)	13-18
10:28		DaQuan Smith misses three point jump shot
10:26		Johni Broome defensive rebound
10:11		KJ Williams blocks Jake Wolfe's two point layup
10:09		KJ Williams defensive rebound
10:07		Ta'Lon Cooper personal foul (Trae Hannibal draws the foul)
9:55		Tevin Brown turnover
9:37		Jake Wolfe turnover (3-second violation)
9:22		Justice Hill misses two point layup
9:20		Nicholas McMullen offensive rebound
9:19		Johni Broome shooting foul (Nicholas McMullen draws the foul)
9:19	+1	Nicholas McMullen makes regular free throw 1 of 2	14-18
9:19		Nicholas McMullen misses regular free throw 2 of 2
9:19		Johni Broome defensive rebound
9:02		Tray Hollowell misses three point jump shot
9:00		DJ Burns defensive rebound
8:52		Justice Hill turnover (bad pass)
8:41		Nicholas McMullen blocks Johni Broome's two point layup
8:39		Racers defensive rebound
8:21	+2	Trae Hannibal makes two point reverse layup	16-18
8:05		Johni Broome misses two point jump shot
8:03		Justice Hill defensive rebound
7:51		Nicholas McMullen misses two point layup
7:49		DJ Burns offensive rebound
7:45		DJ Burns misses two point layup
7:43		DJ Burns offensive rebound
7:33		Drew Thelwell shooting foul (Justice Hill draws the foul)
7:33		Justice Hill misses regular free throw 1 of 2
7:33		Justice Hill misses regular free throw 1 of 2
7:33		Racers offensive rebound
7:33	+1	Justice Hill makes regular free throw 2 of 2	17-18
7:08		Johni Broome misses two point hook shot
7:06		KJ Williams defensive rebound
7:06		Johni Broome personal foul (KJ Williams draws the foul)
6:51		KJ Williams misses two point turnaround jump shot
6:49		Tray Hollowell defensive rebound
6:38		DJ Burns shooting foul (Jake Wolfe draws the foul)
6:38	+1	Jake Wolfe makes regular free throw 1 of 2	17-19
6:38	+1	Jake Wolfe makes regular free throw 2 of 2	17-20
6:10		Ta'Lon Cooper personal foul (Tevin Brown draws the foul)
5:58		Tevin Brown misses three point jump shot
5:56		Jaylon Hall defensive rebound
5:47		DJ Burns personal foul (Jaylon Hall draws the foul)
5:39	+3	Tray Hollowell makes three point jump shot (Skyelar Potter assists)	17-23
5:19		DaQuan Smith misses three point jump shot
5:17		Tevin Brown offensive rebound
5:09	+2	Trae Hannibal makes two point layup (Tevin Brown assists)	19-23
4:43		Jaylon Hall misses three point jump shot
4:41		KJ Williams defensive rebound
4:27	+2	KJ Williams makes two point jump shot (Tevin Brown assists)	21-23
4:05		Jaylon Hall misses three point jump shot
4:03		Trae Hannibal defensive rebound
3:57		Trae Hannibal offensive foul (Jake Wolfe draws the foul)
3:57		Trae Hannibal turnover
3:57		TV timeout
3:42		Tray Hollowell misses three point jump shot
3:40		Tevin Brown defensive rebound
3:25		Tevin Brown misses three point jump shot
3:23		Jaylon Hall defensive rebound
2:59		LJ Bryan misses two point hook shot
2:57		KJ Williams defensive rebound
2:46		Justice Hill misses two point layup
2:44		Jake Wolfe defensive rebound
2:35		Jake Wolfe turnover (bad pass) (Justice Hill steals)
2:29	+2	KJ Williams makes two point layup (Justice Hill assists)	23-23
2:29		Tray Hollowell shooting foul (KJ Williams draws the foul)
2:29	+1	KJ Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 1	24-23
2:04	+3	Skyelar Potter makes three point jump shot (Drew Thelwell assists)	24-26
1:40		Justice Hill misses three point jump shot
1:38		Skyelar Potter defensive rebound
1:22		Skyelar Potter offensive foul (Tevin Brown draws the foul)
1:22		Skyelar Potter turnover
0:59		KJ Williams misses two point jump shot
0:57		Skyelar Potter defensive rebound
0:13		Johni Broome defensive rebound
0:39	+2	Johni Broome makes two point layup (Jake Wolfe assists)	24-28
0:15		Carter Collins misses three point jump shot
0:13		Johni Broome defensive rebound
0:09		Johni Broome turnover (bad pass)
0:13		Johni Broome defensive rebound
0:05		Tevin Brown misses three point jump shot
0:03		Jake Wolfe defensive rebound
0:05		Tevin Brown misses three point jump shot
0:03		Jake Wolfe defensive rebound

2nd Half
MURR
Racers
33
MORE
Eagles
25

Time		Play	Score
19:55		Carter Collins personal foul (Ta'Lon Cooper draws the foul)
19:35		KJ Williams shooting foul (Johni Broome draws the foul)
19:35		Johni Broome misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:35	+1	Johni Broome makes regular free throw 2 of 2	24-29
19:18	+2	KJ Williams makes two point pullup jump shot	26-29
18:55		Skyelar Potter turnover (out of bounds)
18:41	+3	Carter Collins makes three point jump shot (Justice Hill assists)	29-29
18:07		Johni Broome turnover (out of bounds)
17:46		Carter Collins misses two point floating jump shot
17:44		KJ Williams offensive rebound
17:42		Johni Broome shooting foul (KJ Williams draws the foul)
17:42	+1	KJ Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 2	30-29
17:42	+1	KJ Williams makes regular free throw 2 of 2	31-29
17:26	+2	Skyelar Potter makes two point driving dunk (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)	31-31
17:03		DJ Burns turnover (traveling)
16:45		Tray Hollowell misses three point pullup jump shot
16:43		DJ Burns defensive rebound
16:33		Tray Hollowell personal foul (Justice Hill draws the foul)
16:25		KJ Williams misses two point driving layup
16:23		Tray Hollowell defensive rebound
15:52		Jaylon Hall misses two point jump shot
15:52		KJ Williams defensive rebound
15:52		KJ Williams misses three point jump shot
15:50		Justice Hill offensive rebound
15:36		DJ Burns misses two point pullup jump shot
15:34		Johni Broome defensive rebound
15:20		Jaylon Hall turnover (lost ball) (Carter Collins steals)
15:13	+2	Justice Hill makes two point layup	33-31
14:55	+2	Johni Broome makes two point dunk (Jake Wolfe assists)	33-33
14:25		Justice Hill misses three point jump shot
14:23		Jake Wolfe defensive rebound
14:19		KJ Williams personal foul (Johni Broome draws the foul)
14:19		TV timeout
14:19		Nicholas McMullen blocks Johni Broome's two point layup
14:17		Trae Hannibal defensive rebound
13:59		Skyelar Potter personal foul (Trae Hannibal draws the foul)
13:43		Trae Hannibal misses two point pullup jump shot
13:41		LJ Bryan defensive rebound
13:24	+2	Ta'Lon Cooper makes two point driving layup	33-35
13:03		Trae Hannibal turnover (out of bounds)
12:45	+2	LJ Bryan makes two point driving layup (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)	33-37
12:45		LJ Bryan personal foul (Tevin Brown draws the foul)
12:09	+2	KJ Williams makes two point layup (Justice Hill assists)	35-37
11:50	+2	Johni Broome makes two point driving layup (Tray Hollowell assists)	35-39
11:26		Drew Thelwell shooting foul (Trae Hannibal draws the foul)
11:26		TV timeout
11:26		Trae Hannibal misses regular free throw 1 of 2
11:26	+1	Trae Hannibal makes regular free throw 2 of 2	36-39
11:00		Drew Thelwell misses three point jump shot
10:58		Trae Hannibal defensive rebound
10:38		Johni Broome blocks KJ Williams's two point driving layup
10:36		Johni Broome defensive rebound
10:30		Skyelar Potter misses three point jump shot
10:28		Johni Broome offensive rebound
10:25		Drew Thelwell misses two point pullup jump shot
10:23		Trae Hannibal defensive rebound
10:03		Carter Collins misses two point layup
10:01		KJ Williams offensive rebound
9:53		Justice Hill misses three point jump shot
9:51		Eagles defensive rebound
9:28		Johni Broome misses two point pullup jump shot
9:26		Jake Wolfe offensive rebound
9:22		Skyelar Potter misses three point jump shot
9:20		Carter Collins defensive rebound
9:12		Justice Hill misses two point step back jump shot
9:10		Johni Broome defensive rebound
9:00	+2	Johni Broome makes two point floating jump shot (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)	36-41
8:52		Racers 30 second timeout
8:52		TV timeout
8:41		Johni Broome blocks Carter Collins's two point driving layup
8:39		Tevin Brown offensive rebound
8:32		Trae Hannibal turnover (lost ball)
8:15		Tray Hollowell misses three point jump shot
8:13		Johni Broome offensive rebound
8:13		KJ Williams personal foul (Johni Broome draws the foul)
8:03	+2	Johni Broome makes two point pullup jump shot	36-43
7:38		Johni Broome blocks Justice Hill's two point driving layup
7:36		Tray Hollowell defensive rebound
7:33		DJ Burns shooting foul (Jaylon Hall draws the foul)
7:33		TV timeout
7:33	+1	Jaylon Hall makes regular free throw 1 of 2	36-44
7:33	+1	Jaylon Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2	36-45
7:18		KJ Williams turnover (traveling)
7:05		KJ Williams personal foul (Skyelar Potter draws the foul)
6:50		Ta'Lon Cooper misses three point jump shot
6:48		Racers defensive rebound
6:38		Jaylon Hall shooting foul (Justice Hill draws the foul)
6:38	+1	Justice Hill makes regular free throw 1 of 2	37-45
6:38	+1	Justice Hill makes regular free throw 2 of 2	38-45
6:22		Johni Broome misses two point pullup jump shot
6:20		Justice Hill defensive rebound
6:18	+2	Nicholas McMullen makes two point driving layup (Trae Hannibal assists)	40-45
6:08	+2	Johni Broome makes two point pullup jump shot (Ta'Lon Cooper assists)	40-47
5:27		Carter Collins misses two point pullup jump shot
5:25		Johni Broome defensive rebound
5:17		Carter Collins personal foul (Ta'Lon Cooper draws the foul)
5:17	+1	Ta'Lon Cooper makes regular free throw 1 of 2	40-48
5:17	+1	Ta'Lon Cooper makes regular free throw 2 of 2	40-49
4:56	+2	Tevin Brown makes two point driving layup	42-49
4:56		Ta'Lon Cooper shooting foul (Tevin Brown draws the foul)
4:56		Tevin Brown misses regular free throw 1 of 1
4:56		Skyelar Potter defensive rebound
4:25		Skyelar Potter misses two point driving layup
4:23		Johni Broome offensive rebound
4:22		Nicholas McMullen shooting foul (Johni Broome draws the foul)
4:22	+1	Johni Broome makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-50
4:22		Johni Broome misses regular free throw 2 of 2
4:22		KJ Williams defensive rebound
4:19		Jake Wolfe personal foul (Justice Hill draws the foul)
4:19	+1	Justice Hill makes regular free throw 1 of 2	43-50
4:19	+1	Justice Hill makes regular free throw 2 of 2	44-50
3:53		Skyelar Potter misses three point jump shot
3:51		Trae Hannibal defensive rebound
3:32	+3	Tevin Brown makes three point step back jump shot (Justice Hill assists)	47-50
3:02		Johni Broome misses two point driving layup
3:00		Nicholas McMullen defensive rebound
2:55		Jake Wolfe personal foul (Justice Hill draws the foul)
2:55		TV timeout
2:55	+1	Justice Hill makes regular free throw 1 of 2	48-50
2:55	+1	Justice Hill makes regular free throw 2 of 2	49-50
2:38		Skyelar Potter turnover (out of bounds)
2:25		Johni Broome blocks Tevin Brown's two point driving layup
2:23		Skyelar Potter defensive rebound
2:03		Ta'Lon Cooper turnover (bad pass) (Justice Hill steals)
1:56	+2	KJ Williams makes two point pullup jump shot (Justice Hill assists)	51-50
1:28		Ta'Lon Cooper misses three point pullup jump shot
1:26		KJ Williams defensive rebound
1:01	+2	KJ Williams makes two point driving layup (Justice Hill assists)	53-50
0:54		Eagles 30 second timeout
0:36	+3	Tray Hollowell makes three point jump shot	53-53
0:16	+2	Tevin Brown makes two point driving layup	55-53
0:12		Eagles 30 second timeout
0:04		Ta'Lon Cooper misses two point driving layup
0:02		KJ Williams defensive rebound
0:02		Johni Broome personal foul (KJ Williams draws the foul)
0:02	+1	KJ Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 2	56-53
0:02		Eagles 30 second timeout
0:02	+1	KJ Williams makes regular free throw 2 of 2	57-53
0:02		Racers 30 second timeout
0:02		Ta'Lon Cooper turnover (bad pass) (KJ Williams steals)
0:00		End of period

Ta'Lon Cooper turnover (bad pass) (KJ Williams steals)