Murray State Basketball: Racers defeat Bahamas Select Team on 2019 tour

Murray State Basketball begins life without Ja Morant in the Bahamas. The first outing turned out to be a success.

Murray State Basketball fans should feel pretty good about their team right now. The Racers are down in the Bahamas taking on a variety of teams from professional teams to national select teams and they are 1-0 after their first game. Their first bout took place August 9th as they faced off with the Bahamas Select National Team. This is like the second-tier of national players for the Bahamas FIBA hopes.

However, just because they were the “B-Team” doesn’t mean they can’t play ball. Some may remember the Kentucky Wildcats playing in the Bahamas last summer and they played against the official Bahamas National Team. The Racers and Wildcats faced at least one similar opponent as Mark St Fort has suited up against both teams.

The Racers and the Select Team faced off in a hotly contested battle over the course of four quarters. The racers took a slim 43-42 lead at halftime followed by a 63-61 lead heading into the final quarter. Tevin Brown was fantastic and was the only Racer to play over 30 minutes. Brown finished the game with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. He also contributed on the defensive end of the court, posting two steals and a block.

The Bahama’s Select Team did not relent as they would eventually take the lead late in the fourth quarter. Brown hit a pair of free throws for the Racers, snagged a steal on the other end, and put together a good old-fashioned and-one play to put the Racers ahead once again, 83-79 with just over two minutes remaining. Anthony Smith, who was recently granted an extra year due to hardship, pulled down an offensive board that gave the Racers a chance to ice their opponents. Racers go on to win 89-85.

The Racers put up 38 points in the paint, had 23 fastbreak points, and got 29 points from their bench players. Everyone who got on the court for the Racers played at least 13 minutes. Three freshmen had quite the debut in this game with Noah Kamba leading the team with six assists as the starting PG, and Chico Carter Jr., putting up 15 points to go along with a pair of rebounds and assists. DeQuan Smith also put up 15 points and I heard he really impressed the staff in his performance. Read about all of the incoming Racers in the 2019 class here.

The Murray State Racers get back to the action at 5 PM Central Time against Abaco Elite on Saturday. Their final game of this three-game tour will take place on Sunday at noon CT against the Commonwealth Giants. Box scores can be found at the FIBA live stats website.