Brown leads balanced Murray State past UT Martin 89-76
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — Tevin Brown scored 23 points on 7-for-10 shooting with four 3-pointers and Murray State won its seventh straight home game, beating UT Martin 89-76 on Thursday night to open Ohio Valley Conference play.
Brown added seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot for the Racers (8-5). Jaiveon Eaves added 19 points for Murray State while Anthony Smith added 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. KJ Williams had 12 points and eight rebounds.
The balance was enough to withstand a career shooting night from UT Martin's Parker Stewart, who went off for 33 points for the Skyhawks (4-8). Quintin Dove added 14 points. Derek Hawthorne, Jr. had 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
The Racers shot 55%, making 31-of-66 from the field with 10 3-pointers and owned the boards 43-31. A Brown 3-pointer gave Murray State a 5-4 lead less than three minutes into the game and the Racers soon had the lead in double digits. UT Martin came as close as 80-72 with 2:11 remaining, but Williams scored back-to-back layups and Murray State added 5 of 6 at the line.
Murray State matches up against Southeast Missouri at home on Saturday. UT Martin takes on Austin Peay on the road on Saturday.
