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Murray State stays perfect in win over Redhawks

Feb 3, 2012 - 3:50 AM Murray, KY (Sports Network) - Isaiah Canaan had 32 points and the 10th-ranked Murray State Racers remained perfect with an 81-73 victory over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks.

The only unbeaten team left in the Division I ranks trailed by 11 early in the second half, but that all changed with a big 24-2 run.

Jewuan Long added 13 points for the Racers (22-0, 10-0 OVC), who set the Ohio Valley Conference record for the best start to a season. Ivan Aska ended with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Donte Poole had 11 points.

Murray State, which has won 18 straight games at home, made up for a 40.4- percent shooting effort with eight three-pointers and 27 makes from the foul line.

Marcus Brister finished with 17 points and eight boards for the Redhawks (12-10, 7-3), who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Corey Wilford donated 15 points.

The Redhawks seemed poised to pull off a big upset after building a 39-33 lead at the half. The home crowd was stunned early in the second half after a 7-0 SEMO run made it a 46-35 game with 17:26 to play.

But Murray State changed the momentum with a 24-2 surge. Long made a pair of free throws to spark the run, which was highlighted by four Canaan three- pointers. Canaan had 16 points during the burst and made a shot from beyond the arc with 11:04 remaining for a 59-48 lead.

The Racers put the game away at the foul line. Holding a 72-62 edge, the home team went 9-for-12 from the charity stripe in the final 1:12 of game time to seal the win.

Murray State held a 12-9 margin with 15 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but the Redhawks responded with an 18-4 run.

Wilford tallied eight points during the flurry to help give the visitors a 27-16 lead with 8 1/2 minutes to go.

The Racers slightly cut into their deficit and Brandon Garrett's slam made it 39-33 at the break.

Game Notes

The Redhawks shot 45.9 percent from the field and went 3-for-14 from beyond the arc...Southeast Missouri had 44 points in the paint, compared to 24 for Murray State.