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MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State made a living at the free throw line in the second half converting 21-of-23 free throws as the Racers rallied from a halftime deficit to knock off Eastern Illinois 75-59 on Monday night at the Regional Special Events Center.
Murray State remained undefeated in the OVC at 6-0 and 14-3 overall. EIU fell to 10-6, 4-2 in the OVC.
The Racers opened the second half with a7-0 run to take the lead and then used a 9-0 run to break a 31-31 tie. Tyler Laser had hit a 3-pointer for the Panthers as he finished with a team-high 13 points.
Isaiah Canaan capped the Racers 9-0 run making a 3-pointer following an offensive rebound off a rare missed free throw and the had a tip-in following an EIU turnover.
EIU trimmed the lead to six points on a pair of Laser free throws to trail 55-49 with 9:23 left. B.J. Jenkins would knock down a pair of free throws and Isacc Miles hit back-to-back 3-pointers as the Racers pulled away. Miles finished with 21 points hitting 7-of-9 from 3-point range.
The first half was a battle of wills between the top two defensive clubs in the OVC. EIU limited Murray State to just 22 percent shooting as they held a 28-24 halftime lead. The Panthers were limited to just 32 percent shooting.
EIU built a 14-7 lead before the first media timeout with Ousmane Cisse getting two put-back baskets. Cisse was beast on the glass as he pulled down ten rebounds in the opening half as he moved into seventh place on the Panthers career rebounding list. He finished the game with 11 rebounds and 6 points.
Following a technical foul on Murray State's Tony Easley at the 7:13 mark, Laser sank a pair of free throws to put EIU up 22-13. Laser put EIU up by 11 points at 26-15 with a jumper from the corner at 4:08. Murray State would end the half with a 9-2 run with Miles hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
Murray State finished the game hitting 90.3 percent from the stripe on 28-of-31 free throws to off set a night in which they only shot 35 percent from the field. Jenkins added 14 for Murray.
James Hollowell finished with 11 and Jeremy Granger with 10 for EIU. EIU was limited to just 38 percent from the field. The Panthers return to action on Thursday at Eastern Kentucky with a 6:30 p.m. scheduled start.
