The Murray State Racers achieved a 71-68 comeback triumph on Christmas Day against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers in their concluding match of three at the 15
th annual Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
Alongside their Christmas Day victory in 1997 over Arkansas, the Racers now hold a 2-0 record in their centennial history when competing on this festive day.
The Racers (7-6) will return to Missouri Valley Conference action on Jan. 2 when they take on Illinois State at the CFSB Center, with a start time of 7 p.m.
With a well-rounded scoring effort that saw four Racers reach double digits,
Terence Harcum and
KyeRon Lindsay spearheaded MSU with 16 points each, while
AJ Ferguson and
JaCobi Wood contributed 11 points a piece.
After trailing 36-34 at halftime, the Racers found themselves down by 11 points just 2:30 into the second half, but managed to stage a comeback.
The Racers narrowed the Ramblers lead to three points on five separate occasions, with Harcum sinking a couple of free throws and Wood giving the Racers a lead with a three-pointer, making the score 62-61 in favor of the Racers with 4:54 left. It was Harcum’s three-pointer at 3:30 that secured the Racers’ advantage for the remainder of the contest.
Game Notes - The Racers ended a four-game losing streak with this victory.
- During the three games of the tournament (including losses to Nebraska and Charlotte, along with a win against LUC), the Racers shot 40 percent from the field (67-of-167), while their opponents shot 51 percent (79-of-153).
- In terms of three-point shooting, the Racers shot 29 percent (20-of-70), while their opponents shot 30 percent (14-of-47).
- Kylen Milton led the Racers at the Diamond Head with an average of 17.3 points per game, followed by AJ Ferguson with 13.3 points and Terence Harcum with 12.0 points.
- KyeRon Lindsay started the last two games and averaged 8.7 points per game for the three matches, shooting 10-of-15, and leading the Racers with an average of 5.3 rebounds per game.
- In the opening half, Loyola executed nine consecutive field goal attempts and was successful on 12-of-13 attempts at one point.
- The Ramblers were impressive, hitting 13-of-17 (.765), while the Racers also excelled, shooting 12-of-21 (.571).
- Next week, when 2025 arrives, the Racers will return to MVC play, facing the Illinois State Redbirds (Jan. 2).
- This marked the second encounter between the Racers and Loyola, their first since 1964 when they played in Chicago during the Racers’ initial appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
- The only previous occasion the Racers played on Dec. 25 was in 1997 when MSU Hall of Famer De’Teri Mayes and his teammates delivered an outstanding performance at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico.
- Under Coach Mark Gottfried, the Racers defeated No. 12 Arkansas 94-83.
- With Mayes scoring 42 points alongside 10 rebounds, teammate Chad Townsend added 17 points, along with six rebounds and eight assists.
- This trip to Honolulu was the Racers’ first since competing in the Rainbow Classic in 1998.
Visit GoRacers.com for ticket information, or contact the CFSB Center ticket hotline at 270-809-3000.
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