Smith's 19 lead Murray State over Valparaiso 78-50 in MVC

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jamari Smith had 19 points in Murray State's 78-50 win against Valparaiso on Thursday night in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Smith shot 8 for 13 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) for the Racers (17-14). Quincy Anderson scored 18 points while shooting 7 for 10, including 4 for 7 from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds. Rob Perry shot 5 for 13 (2 for 7 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line to finish with 15 points, while adding seven rebounds. Jacobi Wood had 13 points and 11 assists.

Ben Krikke led the Beacons (11-21) in scoring, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. Kobe King added 10 points and seven rebounds for Valparaiso. Nick Edwards also had eight points.

Murray State took the lead with 18:23 remaining in the first half and did not give it up. Perry led his team in scoring with nine points in the first half to help put them up 38-25 at the break. Murray State extended its lead to 48-29 during the second half, fueled by a 10-0 scoring run. Smith scored a team-high 11 points in the second half as his team closed out the win.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.