Jared Newson connected on five of six three point attempts and led all scorers with 23 points, but it wasn’t enough as Murray State held off a second-half rally by the Skyhawks to win Saturday’s game, 79-73.

The game between the two OVC rivals was fiercely competitive and featured a total of 50 fouls and 64 attempted free throws.

The Skyhawks were able to stay within striking distance by making six of ten three point attempts in the second half and shooting 52 percent from the floor in the half.

Murray State’s bench accounted for nearly half of the team’s points in the first half, outscoring the Skyhawk reserves, 20-8 in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Skyhawks struck first, taking a 4-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. A 5-0 spurt by the Racers gave them their first lead at 12-9 with 14:24 remaining before halftime. The lead would eventually grow to as many as twelve points.

The Racers made half of their ten three-point attempts in the half and also held an advantage at the free-throw line.

The Skyhawks struggled on the offensive end of the floor, shooting 44 percent and turning the ball over 11 times. They went without a field goal over the final 3:58 of the half and went into the locker room trailing, 42-31.

The Racers opened the second half by connecting on their first two three-point attempts as they increased their lead to 15 points less than three minutes into the second half. Newson picked up two quick fouls as the officials continued to keep a tight rein on the physical nature of the game.

The Skyhawks were able to make a comeback thanks to their accuracy from the free throw line.

A McKale Jones basket and free throw followed by two Jeremy Kelly free throws brought the Skyhawks to within ten points, 50-40, with 14:14 remaining in the game.

The Skyhawks struggled to find any momentum on offense, allowing the Racers to keep a double-digit advantage through most of the half. However, whenever the Racers tried to pull away for good, the Skyhawks answered with a run to keep the score close.

The Skyhawks generally protected the ball well in the second half, turning it over only six times. Untimely missed shots and turnovers hindered the Skyhawks as they attempted to maintain a long run.

“Once again, I don’t think our execution was where it needs to be. When you have 17 turnovers in late January you’re not going to win many games,” said Skyhawk head coach Bret Campbell.

An Aaron Ferrell jumper cut the lead to 64-56 with 5:46 remaining before the Racers scored seven unanswered points.

Once again, the Skyhawks worked their way back into the game through free throw shooting. Jones, Kelly, and Zerek Knight each hit a pair of free throws in the final five minutes of the game. Knight also made a critical three-pointer with 1:51 left that made the score 74-67.

The final minute of the game was frenzied as the Skyhawks tried to close the gap on the scoreboard.

With 47 seconds left, Kelly made the second of a pair of free throws to become the 11th player in Skyhawk history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career.

The Skyhawks were able to come as close as four points down before two Tyler Holloway free throws provided the final margin of victory for the Racers with 14 seconds left.

“I was proud of our guys’ effort tonight. I think they will step up to battle every night,” Campbell said.

“I’m more worried about execution,” Campbell continued. “We allowed them to create a gap going into halftime and then had some turnovers feeding the post.

Jones finished with 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Ferrell tied his career-high with ten points.

The Racers were led in scoring by Pearson Griffith with 16 points, while Darnell Hopkins scored 10 points.

The Skyhawks won the battle on the boards, pulling down 34 rebounds to the Racers’ 30.The loss dropped the Skyhawks’ record to 7-10 overall and 4-7 in OVC play.

The team will travel to Birmingham on Thursday for a 7 p.m. game against the Samford Bulldogs, who are currently tied for second place in the conference with Murray State.