CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Denzel Mahoney scored 30 points, but it wasn't enough as Southeast Missouri (10-14, 4-7) fell to rival Murray State (17-5, 9-2), 87-75, Thursday night at the Show Me Center.
 
MSU caught fire to shoot 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the field and buried 7-of-13 three-pointers in the second half to get by the Redhawks.
 
SEMO was ahead, 58-55, with 9:26 left to play when MSU went on a 16-2 run in a span of 2:44 and never looked back. Terrell Miller, Jr. knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Jonathan Stark buried a trifecta of his own to give the Racers a 71-60 lead at the 6:23 mark.
 
A layup by Ledarrius Brewer made it a five-point game (73-68) with four minutes to go. However, that was as close as the Redhawks would get down the stretch.
 
SEMO scored on four of its first six possessions and stormed out to a 10-0 lead in the opening three minutes of the contest.
 
Daniel Simmons buried a 3-pointer just 22 seconds in and Justin Carpenter scored off a missed jumper by Simmons. Jonathan Dalton followed with a 3-pointer and Brewer capped the surge when he made two free throws with 17:05 remaining.
 
Brewer later knocked down another 3-pointer to give the Redhawks a 24-11 advantage, their biggest lead of the night.
 
After another Brewer basket, this time a layup, put SEMO ahead, 28-19, at the 7:03 mark, MSU pieced together a 13-4 run to tie the game. Miller and Stark each hit a 3-pointer on the backend of that jaunt with Stark's trey tying things up at 32-32 with less than a minute left.
 
Brewer got free for a dunk seven seconds later to send the Redhawks into the locker room with a slight 34-32 edge.
 
Stark finished with 29 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead MSU. He made 11-of-20 field goals and shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
 
Freshman Ja Morant followed with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Miller added 15 points. Miller made four 3-pointers and hit the trey that gave the Racers their first lead with 8:38 left in the second half.
 
MSU shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) to SEMO's 41.2 (28-of-68).
 
Mahoney went 11-of-26 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free throw line en route to his second 30-point effort this season. He also grabbed eight rebounds in 38 minutes. Mahoney (971) is now 29 points away from reaching 1,000 in his career.

Three other starters joined Mahoney in double figures. Brewer had 18 points, Simmons chipped in 13 and Dalton pitched in 10.
 
The Redhawks shot just 11 percent (1-of-9) from 3-point range in the second half.
 
SEMO returns to action when it hosts Austin Peay Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m., CT.