PLANO, Texas – The Murray State College men's basketball team picked up a gritty road win over Collin College on Saturday night, 60-57. The Aggies erased a 10-point halftime deficit and sealed the victory with a game-winning three-pointer from Ashton Smith with 3.1 seconds remaining.

The Cougars stormed out to a 17-point lead just eight minutes into the game at 23-6. However, the Aggies stiffened up defensively and trimmed the lead to ten at halftime, 33-23.

After Collin scored the first two points of the second half, Murray State used a 15-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 40-37. The hosts quickly responded with a run of their own to take back the lead, 48-43, with seven minutes to go in the game. Collin would push the lead to as much as seven points with four minutes left in the contest. However, the Aggies locked in defensively and used another scoring outburst to take the lead, 57-55, with less than a minute to go.

Collin would convert a pair of free throws to set up the moment of the night. With the game tied in the closing seconds, Ashton Smith drilled a game-winning three-pointer from the wing with 3.1 seconds remaining to put Murray State ahead for good. Collin's final possession came up empty as Aymen Kraria blocked the Cougar's three-point attempt, securing the Aggies' 10th win of the season.

Smith paced the Aggies with 20 points, knocking down four three-pointers and shooting 8-for-18 from the field. Tayesen Combs added 15 points, while Domantas Šarauskas contributed 8 points and Aymen Kraria provided 5 points along with a team-high 13 rebounds.

Murray State held Collin to its lowest scoring output of the season. With the win, the Aggies improve to 10-3 on the season.

Murray State College returns to the court Dec. 11 for a road contest against Grayson College. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Sports Information Director: Justin Wagner | jgwagner@mscok.edu
Aggie Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Murray State College Men's Basketball: Twitter | Instagram