GAME NOTES: The Murray State Racers try to put an end to a three-game slide on Sunday, as they take on the Drake Bulldogs in the final round of the Challenge in Music City.

Since winning back-to-back games against Middle Tennessee and Brescia, the Racers have come out on the losing end of three straight outings. The latest of those defeats took place last night in this tournament against Valparaiso by a score of 93-58.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have experienced success only once in six opportunities this season, taking down IUPUI by a score of 73-60 earlier in the week. After that, the team was thumped by Valpo on Friday, 66-46, and then came up lame versus Portland on Saturday, 71-59.

The Racers won the only previous meeting between the schools in a 47-40 final back on March 9, 1938.

At the half on Saturday the Racers were hanging around, trailing by only six points, but that was before the Crusaders went off with a staggering 70.8 percent shooting from the floor in the second half and at the same time MSU shooting a dismal 7-of-27, en route to the lopsided outcome. Jeffrey Moss tallied a team-best 13 points, followed by Cameron Payne with 12 points for the Racers.

Payne, the leading scorer for Murray State in three of six games thus far, is good for 17.3 ppg and has had a hand in keeping his teammates involved in the offense with his 27 assists. Payne is also first with 19 steals, which does help to cover up the fact that he has made only 26.7 percent of his 3-point attempts. Jarvis Williams (14.2 ppg) takes care of action in the paint (7.0 rpg) and doesn't bother with trying his hand at 3-point shooting where the team as a whole is only 29.1 percent accurate.

Gary Ricks scored 23 points as he shot not only 9-of-12 from the field, but also 5-of-6 behind the 3-point line in the meeting with Portland yesterday, but still that wasn't good enough as the team lost by double figures yet again. Jordan Daniels added 12 points off the bench as he connected on 5-of-8 from the floor and somehow the team faltered despite shooting a collective 51.1 percent from the floor and 8-of-17 on the perimeter.

Seeing Ricks at the top of the scoring list was a first for the Bulldogs this season, but his efforts on Saturday pushed him to the top of the scoring list after six games (of which he has played three) with his 13.3 ppg. Daniels checks in with 11.8 ppg, converting 52.9 percent from behind the 3-point line, followed by Reed Timmer with 10.5 ppg to go along with a team-best 17 assists in order to offset his 38.3 percent effort from the field.

Murray State is far from a dominating program, but at least in a meeting such as this, the Racers should have the inside track towards a much-needed victory.