Photos by Dave Winder, MSU Athletics
WILLIAMS BIG NIGHT HELPS RACERS CRUSH CUMBERLAND
KJ Williams scored a career high 32 points to lead Murray State to a 109-77 opening night victory over Cumberland University in men’s basketball at the CFSB Center. Williams hit his first seven shots, finishing 12-of-13 from the field including 5-of-6 from the 3-point line. Tevin Brown added 21 points on 4-of-8 from the 3-point line and Justice Hill scored 12 points to go with a game-high 8 assists. The Racers shot 63 percent from the field which included hitting 13-of-26 from the 3-point line for 50 percent. MSU dominated the boards 43-24 over the Phoenix while dishing out 24 assists and committing only 9 turnovers. The Racers return to action Saturday night when they host Bellarmine.
RACER WOMEN ROLL ASBURY IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD
Katelyn Young scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Murray State women rolled Asbury 79-40 in the season opener for each team played before the largest crowd for a standalone women’s game in program history. Hannah McKay added 16 points for the Racers with Macey Turley scoring 10. Murray State pulled down 65 rebounds in the game, just one off of the program single-game record of 66, and also scored 48 of their 79 points in the paint. The Racers are back in action Thursday night at 7 at Missouri.
CATS FALL TO DUKE; LOUISVILLE WINS
#11 Kentucky lost to #9 Duke 79-71 at Madison Square Garden in the Champions Classic. Oscar Tshiebwe led the Wildcats with 17 points and 19 rebounds. In other men’s games:
Louisville 72, Southern 60
#17 Tennessee 90, UT Martin 62
#12 Memphis 89, Tennessee Tech 65
#22 Auburn 77, Morehead State 54
Southeast Missouri 99, Missouri State 94
Ohio 92, Belmont 80
Austin Peay 86, UT Southern 79
Alabama A&M 82, Tennessee State 73
Marquette 88, SIUE 77
Northwestern 80, Eastern Illinois 56
UALR 69, SIU 66
Cincinnati 65, Evansville 43
Western Kentucky 79, Alabama State 74
Middle Tennessee 98, Brescia 59
Eastern Kentucky 93, Georgetown (KY) 63
#7 Purdue 96, Bellarmine 67
OTHER WOMEN’S SCORES
Evansville 62, Austin Peay 52
Kentucky 81, Presbyterian 53
Michigan State 93, Morehead State 31
Tennessee State 94, Fisk 48
Eastern Illinois 86, Lindenwood 30
Tennessee Tech 85, Bethel 46
Belmont 88, Chattanooga 70
Southeast Missouri 65, UHSP 48
TONIGHT: SIU at Tennessee
AREA HOCKEY ROUNDUP
Jordan Binnington made 39 saves in the Blues 3-2 shootout win over the Jets IN Winnepeg. The Blues improved to 8-2-1. They host Nashville tomorrow night. The Predators play the Stars in Dallas tonight. The Preds enter the matchup with their division rivals at 6-5-and-1.
MEMPHIS HOSTS CHARLOTTE
The Grizzlies are back return to the court tonight. Memphis hosts the Charlotte Hornets. Dillon Brooks has been upgraded to questionable as he is healing his hand fracture. The Grizzlies enter the game with a 6-and-4 record.
KICKOFF TIME SET FOR UK HOME FINALE
The UK football team’s home finale is set for 11 am Central on the SEC Network. The Wildcats will play New Mexico State in Lexington on Saturday, November 20th. The ‘Cats will play Vanderbilt in Nashville this Saturday night. They’ll wrap up regular-season play against Louisville at Cardinal Stadium on Saturday November 27th.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
The Packers are being fined for violation of the NFL and NFL Players Association’s COVID-19 Protocols. According to ESPN, the team has been fined 300-thousand-dollars for its violations. Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers along with wide receiver Allen Lazard were each fined over 14-thousand dollars. Rodgers missed this past week’s game against Kansas City due to being in COVID protocols.
The latest College Football Playoff Rankings are out. Georgia remains in the top spot after decimating Missouri. Alabama is second while Oregon moves up to the third spot following Michigan State’s loss. Ohio State is now fourth. The Spartans fall to seventh in the rankings. Cincinnati moves up to the number five spot. Michigan is sixth, while MSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma State round out the top 10.
Odell Beckham Jr. is becoming a free agent for the first time in his career. The 29-year-old receiver cleared waivers Tuesday and is available to be signed by any NFL team. ESPN is reporting that Beckham wants to spend the rest of this season with a playoff contender. The Cleveland Browns officially released Beckham Monday after his relationship with the team deteriorated.
Dalvin Cook is being sued by a woman alleging that the Vikings running back assaulted her in 2020. The lawsuit was filed in the Dakota County District Court Tuesday. Cook’s attorney Dave Valentini claims that the fifth-year pro was the victim of the assault and extortion. Gracelyn Trimble says that she suffered a concussion and a facial scar when she went to Cook’s home to break-up with him and get her belongings.
The drama surrounding the Phoenix Suns organization is taking a wild twist. ESPN reports that Penny Sarver, the wife of embattled Suns owner Robert Sarver, sent messages to three former Suns employees following last week’s ESPN story about a toxic work environment in the franchise along with scathing allegations of racism and sexism. The former employees said they think the messages are a form of intimidation.
Sam Darnold is reportedly dealing with a fracture in his right shoulder. ESPN reports the Panthers quarterback has an incomplete fracture of the right shoulder blade and is expected to miss several weeks due to the injury. Darnold underwent an MRI on Monday after dealing with soreness after Sunday’s game. In his absence, Carolina is expected to start P.J. Walker under center.
A Pac-12 football game is being postponed to due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Cal will not be able to play USC on Saturday after multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the program. Cal reported that the team had a 99-percent vaccination rate among players, but had additional positive cases after Saturday’s game. The game has been rescheduled for December 4th, a day after the Pac-12 championship game.
TUESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NBA
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Milwaukee Bucks 118, Philadelphia 76ers 109
Utah Jazz 110, Atlanta Hawks 98
LA Clippers 117, Portland Trail Blazers 109
NHL
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Boston Bruins 3, Ottawa Senators 2
Los Angeles Kings 3, Montreal Canadiens 2 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 (OT)
New Jersey Devils 7, Florida Panthers 3
Detroit Red Wings 4, Edmonton Oilers 2
St. Louis Blues 3, Winnipeg Jets 2 (SO)
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (SO)
San Jose Sharks 4, Calgary Flames 1
Anaheim Ducks 3, Vancouver Canucks 2 (OT)
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Seattle Kraken 2
NCAA Men’s Basketball (Top-25 Coaches Poll)
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#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs 97, Dixie State Trailblazers 63
#2 UCLA Bruins 95, CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 58
#3 Kansas Jayhawks 87, Michigan State Spartans 74
#4 Villanova Wildcats 91, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers 51
#5 Texas Longhorns 92, Houston Baptist Huskies 48
#7 Purdue Boilermakers 96, Bellarmine Knights 67
#9 Duke Blue Devils 79, #11 Kentucky Wildcats 71
#10 Illinois Fighting Illini 71, Jackson State Tigers 47
#12 Oregon Ducks 83, Texas Southern Tigers 66
#13 Alabama Crimson Tide 93, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 64
#14 Houston Cougars 83, Hofstra Pride 75 (OT)
#15 Arkansas Razorbacks 74, Mercer Bears 61
#16 Memphis Tigers 89, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 65
#17 Ohio State Buckeyes 67, Akron Zips 66
#17 Tennessee Volunteers 90, UT Martin Skyhawks 62
#20 North Carolina Tar Heels 83, Loyola (MD) Greyhounds 67
#21 Maryland Terrapins 83, Quinnipiac Bobcats 69
#22 Auburn tigers 77, Morehead State Eagles 54
#23 UConn Huskies 99, Central Connecticut Blue Devils 48
#24 St. Bonaventure Bonnies 75, Siena Saints 47
Navy Midshipmen 66, #25 Virginia Cavaliers 58
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
NBA
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7:00 p.m. – Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers
7:00 p.m. – Brooklyn Nets at Orlando Magic
7:30 p.m. – Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics
7:30 p.m. – Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks
7:30 p.m. – Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets
8:00 p.m. – Dallas Mavericks at Chicago Bulls
8:00 p.m. – Charlotte Hornets at Memphis Grizzlies
8:00 p.m. – Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans
8:30 p.m. – Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs
9:00 p.m. – Indiana Pacers at Denver Nuggets
9:00 p.m. – Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns
10:00 p.m. – Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
10:00 p.m. – Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers
NHL
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7:30 p.m. – Toronto Maple Leafs at Philadelphia Flyers
8:30 p.m. – Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars
10:00 p.m. – Minnesota Wild at Arizona Coyotes
NCAA Men’s Basketball (Top-25 Coaches Poll)
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6:30 p.m. – #6 Michigan Wolverines host Buffalo Bulls
9:00 p.m. – #19 Florida State Seminoles host Pennsylvania Quakers
