Murray State hosts Dease and Valparaiso

By Canadian Press on January 10, 2026.

Valparaiso Beacons (8-8, 2-3 MVC) at Murray State Racers (14-3, 6-0 MVC)

Murray, Kentucky; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Valparaiso plays Murray State after Owen Dease scored 28 points in Valparaiso’s 77-71 victory against the Illinois State Redbirds.

The Racers have gone 8-0 in home games. Murray State is second in the MVC with 10.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Fredrick King averaging 3.3.

The Beacons are 2-3 in conference play. Valparaiso scores 71.3 points and has outscored opponents by 1.5 points per game.

Murray State makes 47.8% of its shots from the field this season, which is 5.5 percentage points higher than Valparaiso has allowed to its opponents (42.3%). Valparaiso’s 40.5% shooting percentage from the field this season is 3.9 percentage points lower than Murray State has given up to its opponents (44.4%).

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Javon Jackson is averaging 16.8 points for the Racers. Roman Domon is averaging 12.9 points over the last 10 games.

Rakim Chaney averages 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Beacons, scoring 9.9 points while shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc. Dease is shooting 56.7% and averaging 16.5 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Racers: 10-0, averaging 87.2 points, 36.5 rebounds, 15.5 assists, 4.6 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.9 points per game.

Beacons: 4-6, averaging 73.4 points, 32.7 rebounds, 12.5 assists, 5.5 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 42.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.5 points.

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

The Associated Press