Despite suffering a tough loss to the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks, Chris Horton made his way into the history books and the Governors pulled together in the fourth quarter against rival Murray State for a game that went down to the wire.
The Governors defense fell apart Feb. 4, 2016, against UTM which ultimately cost them the game 86-77.
Just five minutes into the game, the Governors were leading the Skyhawks 19-10 but by halftime the Skyhawks were one point behind with a score of 34-35.
In the second half, the Governors defense was not enough to reinforce their offensive efforts as the Skyhawks continued to build a lead.
The Skyhawks’ Jacolby Mobley had a game-high 20 points and was perfect from the field and behind the arc. At the line, he knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 4 points.
The Govs knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers – nine more than their previous record – but it was not enough to keep the Skyhawks from soaring away in the second half.
Horton finished the night setting a new milestone for his career with a total of 1500 points. He is the 13th player in NCAA Division I history to achieve this feat. Horton also has a total of 1000 rebounds and 300 blocks.
Along with this career milestone, Horton also achieved his 16th double-double of the season.
Freshman forward/guard Jared Savage scored a career-high 14 points, 9 of which came from 3-pointers.
Coming off the loss, Governors prepared themselves to take on their rivals, the Murray State Racers, who the Govs have struggled to beat since Jan. 8, 2011.
The Governors trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half but with less than three minutes remaining the Govs began to cut the deficit, defeating the Racers 76-73.
Christ Horton scored on a layup to contribute to his game-high 29-point performance, and after a made free throw from a foul, the Govs were within reach.
With 30 seconds left, freshman point guard Zach Glotta nailed a 3-pointer to put the Govs just ahead of the Racers with a score of 73-72.
Chris Horton came out of a Govs timeout and made a steal near midcourt while the Govs were in a full-court defensive press.
Josh Robinson was fouled during his shot attempt while driving the lane. With less than six seconds remaining, he stepped to the line to sink both free throws and put the Govs up by 1 point.
With seconds remaining, sophomore guard Tre’ Ivory stole the ball during a double team on the Racers’ point guard Bryce Jones and knocked down both shots at the line after being fouled.
Robinson led the Governors with 21 points and was 11-12 from the line.
Glotta made it to double digits and picked up a season-high 11 points and six assists.
The Govs seek to take on Murray State at home on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. for the annual Coming Home game in the Dunn Center.
