Murray State to take on Austin Peay after 79-69 victory over Jacksonville State

With a late offensive surge and each of Murray State's starters putting double digits on the board, the Racers toppled Jacksonville State 79-69 tonight in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

"We stuck with it," junior guard Mallory Luckett said. "Our shots weren't falling in the first half. We just kept attacking and got in the bonus early. Our defense wasn't bad in the first half, we just had to communicate on the screens a little better. And then, we picked up our rebounding better."

After trailing by one at the half, the Racers took a 33-32 lead with 19 minutes left after a jumper by Luckett. With the exception of a 42-42 tie, Murray State led the entire second half.

"We struggled shooting a little bit," Head Coach Rob Cross said. "But we dominated the boards which made the difference in the game."

Murray State out-rebounded the Gamecocks 51 to 40.

Senior guard Amber Guffey led Murray State with 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists, followed by senior guard Paige Guffey who recorded 17 points and five rebounds.

The Racers also saw solid performances from senior forward Angela Mullins and Luckett who each added 10 points and eight rebounds. Luckett tallied five steals as well.

With 13 points and 17 rebounds, senior guard Ashley Hayes added a double-double.

"I knew I had to grab the boards," Hayes said. "Teams are playing different defenses and I'm just analyzing what they're doing. Instead of me forcing the shot, I dished it out. I think I played better defense than ever tonight."

Jacksonville State was led by sophomore forward Candice Carmine with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Junior forward Jolie Efezokhae and sophomore guard Zenobia Pitts each scored 13 points for the Gamecocks.

Although the Racers held Jacksonville State to 38.2 percent from the field, Murray State only shot 36.1 percent.

"There are always things we can work on," Luckett said. "We're going to keep it up until we win it all. I'm focused, just laying it all on the line. I'm playing each game and giving it my all."

Murray State will take on Austin Peay in the semifinals of the conference tournament noon Friday at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.

"(Austin Peay) is a tough opponent for us because they're physical," Cross said. "They're an outstanding rebounding team. We're going to have to do the job on the backboards on Friday if we're going to have any chance to win. They're an aggressive team. It will be an exciting game."

Catch the halftime update and final story of the men's basketball matchup with Tennessee State tonight, exclusively on thenews.org.