EL RENO, Okla. — The Murray State College men's basketball team earned a hard-fought road victory Thursday night over Redlands Community College, using a late surge to secure the win.
 
The game was tightly contested early with the score tied at 13 just eight minutes into the contest. Murray State responded with a decisive 10–0 run to take a 23–13 advantage with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The Aggies continued to control the tempo and closed the half on a 5–0 run to carry a 41–27 lead into the break.
 
Redlands stormed back to open the second half, using a 24–4 run over the first seven minutes to take a six-point lead and shift momentum. A pair of three-pointers by Aymen Kraria helped Murray State regroup, tying the game at 51. From there, the teams battled in a back-and-forth stretch, with the contest remaining a one-possession game for the next nine minutes.
 
Trailing 70–67 with just over three minutes to play, the Aggies delivered the decisive push. Murray State went on a 10–0 run over the next three minutes to build a 77–70 lead and held off Redlands down the stretch to secure the five-point victory.
 
Ashton Smith led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to go along with a team-high three steals, and five rebounds. Abeeng Agot provided a major lift off the bench with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds and three blocks, while Kraria added 14 points, including the two key second-half three-pointers.
 
Murray State knocked down 10 three-pointers, shot 76% from the free-throw line, and used timely defense late to seal the 79-74 road victory.
 
Murray State returns home to take on Connors State College on Monday, February 16. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
Assistant Sports Information Director: Jeremy Wagner | jwagner@mscok.edu
Aggie Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Murray State College Men's Basketball: Twitter | Instagram