Dec. 30, 2009

Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Murray State used a 31-7 run over 10 minutes of the second half to rally past Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 82-51 at the Vadalabene Center.

A crowd of 2,281 watched as Murray State, ranked No. 17 in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll, pushed past the Cougars in the second half.

"They showed their athleticism when they went on that run," said SIUE Coach Lennox Forrester.

The Cougars, 2-12, were down 36-30 at halftime and cut the lead to two points on a jumper in the paint by Denykco Bowles with 15:12 to play. Down 40-38, the Racers would outscore the Cougars 42-13 for the rest of the contest.

Murray State, 10-3, scored 45 points off the bench led by 17 from Isaiah Canann and 13 from Donte Poole. Tony Easley and Isacc Miles scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Racers. Murray State shot 62.5 percent from the field for the game.

SIUE picked up 11 points from Mark Yelovich, who tied Bowles for the team lead in rebounding with seven.

The Cougars were outrebounded 32-30 but outrebounded their opponents on the offensive glass for the first time this season. SIUE used 15 offensive boards to gain 12 second-chance points.

"That's the thing I like about this team - they're scrappy," said Forrester.

SIUE returns to the hardwood at the Vadalabene Center next Tuesday when it entertains Milwaukee. Game time is 7 p.m.

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