MSU ATHLETICS - The Murray State Racers finished off the 2022-23 season, their first in the Missouri Valley Conference, with a 77-76 overtime win over the Valparaiso Beacons in the final home game at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
The Racers 16-14 clinched a winning season and finished 11-9 in their first foray through The Valley. MSU is the No. 7 seed in next week's MVC Tournament in St. Louis where they will meet Valparaiso again, the No. 10 seed Thursday in a 6 p.m. tipoff at the Enterprise Center.
DJ Burns scored 21 points on 10-of-18 from the field with eight rebounds to lead the Racers, while Quincy Anderson added 15 points off the bench. JaCobi Wood had 13 points and five assists, with Brian Moore, Jr. scoring 11 points.
After defeating the Beacons in overtime (Dec. 4) on the road, there the Racers were in Murray working overtime again.
Trailing 65-62 with six seconds remaining, Wood hit his only 3-pointer of the game to send the game to OT 65-65.
After surviving a stretch of missing 10 shots in a row, the Racers hit five-straight baskets in the overtime, but still found themselves tied with VU when the Beacons scored for a 76-76 game with five seconds left. MSU's Moore got the inbounds pass and raced down the floor where he was fouled with .5 left on the clock. Moore gave the Racers the win hitting his first free throw.
After trailing by as many as 12 points at the 10:26 mark of the first half, the Racers came back to lead 33-32 at intermission.
