TISHOMINGO, Okla. — The Murray State College men's basketball team used a strong second-half surge to defeat Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, 68–61, Thursday night.
 
The matchup featured a tightly contested first half with multiple lead changes and neither team holding a lead larger than four points. NEO A&M carried a narrow 31–29 advantage into halftime after both teams battled back and forth offensively.
 
Murray State quickly shifted momentum coming out of the break. The Aggies opened the second half on a decisive 10–2 run to take a 41–33 lead, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. The surge sparked a stretch of strong defensive play and timely scoring that allowed Murray State to build its first double-digit advantage, 48–37, with just over 10 minutes remaining.
 
The Norsemen refused to go away, trimming the Aggies' lead to five points with one minute left, but Murray State remained composed down the stretch, converting free throws and getting key defensive stops to secure the 68–61 victory.
 
Tayesen Combs led the Aggies with 16 points, knocking down four three-pointers while also contributing eight rebounds and four assists. Abeeng Agot provided an efficient performance with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and added four rebounds. Ashton Smith scored 11 points, while Malachi Schilreff made a major impact on the glass with a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with five assists. Domantas Sarauskas added seven points and collected five rebounds.
 
As a team, Murray State shot 40.4 percent from the field and converted 19-of-27 free throws.
 
Murray State travels to Western Oklahoma State College on Monday, March 2. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
Assistant Sports Information Director: Jeremy Wagner | jwagner@mscok.edu
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