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MURRAY, Ky. – For the sixth time this season, sophomore D.J. Balentine finished with over 20 points, but his effort of 25 was not enough as Murray State hung on for a 65-63 win at CFSB Center on Tuesday evening.
 
Balentine hit 8 of his 22 attempts for UE (5-3) while going 8-9 from the stripe.  He also dished out a game-high eight assists.  Egidijus Mockevicius finished with 12 points and seven rebounds while Jaylon Moore tied his career mark with 10 points while posting 5 rebounds.  Adam Wing also scored in double figures, totaling 10.
 
Leading the way for the Racers (3-5) was Jeffery Moss with 20 points.  He was 5-9 from long range.  Jarvis Williams posted a game-high 16 rebounds as that battle finished at 32-32 on the night.
 
Duane Gibson hit a free throw in the opening moments to give UE its first lead since the Anderson game, but Murray State punched right back with back-to-back treys by Cameron Payne and Jeffery Moss on their way to a 7-1 lead.  Their advantage reached double figures at 16-5 on a Tyler Rambo bucket as the Aces committed six turnovers in the first seven minutes contributing to Murray State's success.  Adam Wing's second floater of the game ended the stretch for the Racers.
 
Wing's bucket was the beginning of a 9-0 stretch as UE converted four out of six buckets to get within a pair at 16-14.  Two more 3-pointers by the Racers saw their advantage extended to 22-16 but Evansville was able to rally with three shots in a row to tie it up at 22-22 with 6:40 remaining in the half.
 
A dagger came at the end of the half as Dexter Fields drained his second trey of the night at the buzzer to send Murray State to the half up 30-26.  Jaylon Moore showed great energy in the first half, posting 8 points and 5 rebounds.  The teams combined to turn the ball over 18 times in the frame with the Racers committing ten.
 
D.J. Balentine hit a jumper out of the break as the Aces scored the first six points en route to a quick 32-30 lead just two minutes in.  Just as fast as they were able to take the advantage, UE allowed MSU right back into it.  Fields knocked down his third trey of the night as the Racers scored nine in a row to go back up 39-32.  Evansville missed five shots in a row before Balentine spearheaded a 4-0 stretch as UE got back within a possession but the three ball hurt UE once again as Murray State knocked down their eighth of the game to take a 44-38 lead.
 
Eight Evansville tallies in a row, including six by Balentine, saw the Aces go back in front with 9:50 left on the clock.  Balentine completed the run with an and-one.  Cameron Payne put the Racers on his back, posting the next four points to retake the lead.  With just over eight minutes left, Adam Wing posted the first trey of the contest for UE as they would go up 49-48.
 
Each time the Aces would go in front, the Racers fought right back.  This time, it wasJonathan Fairell, who posted a pair of free throws before Jeffery Moss tallied his fourth trey of the game to make it a 53-49 game.   As they had done all game long, UE made its way back into the lead on a Balentine trey.  The teams would swap the edge once again leading to a 59-59 tally with 3 minutes left.
 
With each team having numerous opportunities to take the lead, it was Cameron Payne hitting a jumper with 1:20 remaining to put MSU on top at 61-61, but on the ensuing possession, Balentine drained his two free throw attempts to tie the game up once again.
 
Inside the final minute Jeffery Moss connected on his fifth trey of the game and that would prove to be the difference as the Aces fell by a 65-63 final.
 
Payne tallied 14 points for MSU while Fields had 11.  The main difference came in 3-point shooting as MSU was 10-22 from long range while the Aces were 2-7.  Neither team had it going from the line as Evansville was 13-21 and Murray State finished 9-20.
 
It is back to the Ford Center for the Aces on Saturday as they will square off against Miami Ohio with tip set 1:05 p.m.  The NCAA Championship team of the 1964 season will be honored at the half and a special giveaway will be available for the first 1,000 fans to attend as they will receive a special poster of the team.