Men's Basketball 1/27/2025 11:10:00 PM

Cavalry returns as Aggies upset 6th ranked NEO

Box Score By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
Starters Brandon Ivery and RJ Chatman provided pivotal plays in their return to the lineup Monday night, helping spark the Murray State Aggies to a 72-65 upset of nationally 6^th ranked Northeastern Oklahoma A&M inside Beames Fieldhouse.

With the victory the Aggies remained tied atop the Region 2 league standings with Connors State at 5-1 in conference play and 16-3 overall. NEO slipped to 16-3 as well and now 4-2 in league action.

Ivery and Chatman combined for 17 points in the second half, helping Murray State build as much as a 14-point lead before the Norseman came storming back in the final three minutes.

NEO closed within 65-63 with 1:18 remaining and with the Aggies reeling after seeing a 10-point advantage disappear, Ivery calmly stepped up with the shot clock running out to drain a 12-foot jumper with 53 seconds left for what amounted to the proverbial dagger.

Chatman followed with a pair of free throws just 10 seconds later for a 69-63 cushion and enough breathing room down the stretch.

"I told the guys the cavalry is back!" head coach Josh Davis said afterward. "It was good to be back close to full strength after having to play without those guys for a couple of games.

"We battled for 40 minutes against one heck of an NEO team. This is a big one for our college and our program for sure knocking off the number six team in the nation. We have a lot of respect for them, and I know they will have a chance to make some noise at the national tournament this year."

While Ivery and Chatman provided key points at the end, it was the sizzling shooting of Elijah Tshibangu that helped keep Murray State in front from basically his first three pointer of the game on. The freshman sharpshooter sank six treys on the way to a team-high 19 points.

Bol Agu tallied 12 points and eight rebounds with Rustin Coffey also reaching double figures with 11 points, all of which came in the first half. Chanon Frye rounded out the scoring with four.

Murray State visits Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton for its next outing Thursday night.

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Players Mentioned

#0 RJ Chatman: PG; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#10 Rustin Coffey: G/F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#3 Elijah Tshibangu: G; 6' 4"; Freshman

#13 Brandon Ivery: G; 6' 4"; Freshman

#24 Bol Agu: G/F; 6' 8"; Sophomore

#32 Chanon Frye: F; 6' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#0 RJ Chatman
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: PG

#10 Rustin Coffey
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G/F

#3 Elijah Tshibangu
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: G

#13 Brandon Ivery
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: G

#24 Bol Agu
: 6' 8"; Sophomore
: G/F

#32 Chanon Frye
: 6' 6"; Freshman
: F