BOX SCORE

MURRAY, Ky. – A balanced Murray State team proved too much for the Jacksonville State basketball team on Thursday night, when the first-place Racers pulled away with a 92-68 win over the Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks (6-10, 2-4 Ohio Valley Conference) went toe-to-toe with the Racers (15-3, 7-0 OVC) for much of the first half, but a late run into the intermission that continued for the first few minutes of the second half sparked MSU's 12th-straight home win and its 13th in a row at home against OVC opponents.

The top offensive and defensive team in the league, Murray State made nine of its first 13 3-point attempts en route to a season-best 12 treys and held the Gamecocks to a .389 shooting percentage that included a 5-for-17 effort from outside the arc. JSU managed eight more points than the Racers had previously allowed to an OVC foe this season, but their highest output in league play since 2008 proved plenty.

The Gamecocks had three players score in double figures, led by junior Jeremy Bynum's 19. The guard from Oxford, Ala., made four of JSU's 3-point buckets on the night in eight attempts, but it wasn't enough to grab JSU's first win in its 12th meeting with the Racers.

Juniors Nick Murphy and Trenton Marshall rounded out the trio of Gamecocks with double figures in the scoring column. Murphy, a native of Bronx, N.Y., put in 18 for JSU, while Marshall, a Garyville, La., native, added 12. Marshall, Murphy and senior Amadou Mbodji led the Gamecocks on the glass with seven boards apiece, while Mbodji, a native of Kaolack, Senegal, and Marshall each blocked a pair of shots on the night.

MSU, who entered the night with six players averaging between 9.7 and 11 points per game, had six players score at least nine against the Gamecocks. B.J. Jenkins used a 5-for-6 night from behind the arc to put in 19, while Isaac Miles pitched in 16. Isaiah Canaan and Ivan Aska each scored 11, while Aska led the Racers' charge on the glass with eight boards.

They played 14 players, six more than the number of scholarship players the Gamecocks had in uniform, and 12 of them scored. They finished the night with a 39-30 advantage on the glass.

The game was neck-and-neck for much of the first half, before a late Racer stretch built a 48-37 lead for the home team, its largest of the half. B.J. Jenkins was 4-for-5 from behind the arc to account for much of his 14 points and spark a 7-for-11 first half from 3-point land for the Racers. Isaac Miles added 13 for MSU.

The Gamecocks edged MSU on the glass, 21-19, but went 1-for-7 from behind the 3-point line to let an early lead slip away. Murphy was 3-for-10 from the floor but 4-for-4 from the line to lead the Gamecocks with 10 points in the first 20 minutes. He and Marshall each grabbed five boards to lead all players.

The Racers picked up where they left off in the first half to start the second, building a 19-point lead by the 15-minute mark. The Gamecocks were able to use a small run to get as close as 13 before the halfway point of the half, but the Racers put the game away down the stretch.

The Gamecocks will close their two-game road trip on Saturday, when they take on UT Martin in a 6 p.m. matchup in Martin, Tenn. The game will be broadcast live on the JSU Radio Network with Mike Parris calling the action.