No. 9 Murray State’s perfect run ends with loss to Tennessee State

MURRAY, Ky. -- Steve Prohm had never lost a game as a head coach. He doesn't think much of what his first loss will do for his sleeping habits.

"I doubt (I'll get any sleep)," the 37-year-old Prohm said Thursday after No. 9 Murray State lost 72-68 to Tennessee State, ending the Racers' run as the last unbeaten team in Division I.

"My parents are here, too. That's what makes it even worse. (A loss) is terrible, but then when your parents are here and they don't see you a lot it makes it even worse. It's the first time they've ever seen a game here (that) we lost in six years."

Robert Covington had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the Tigers.

Prohm, who was an assistant at Murray State before replacing Billy Kennedy when he took the Texas A&M job, accepted the responsibility for the loss.

"I've got to do a better job in some areas to make sure we're doing a better job executing at times," Prohm said. "But, I'm proud. I'm extremely proud of our guys. We had an amazing run, 23 wins in a row. I'm sure we set a lot of records along the way, but now we've got to be totally locked in on winning a conference championship."

Isaiah Canaan had 31 points and six rebounds for Murray State (23-1, 11-1 Ohio Valley Conference).

Murray State had won the last eight meetings against Tennessee State (16-10, 9-4) dating to 2008-09.

Covington hit a 3-pointer with four minutes left that gave Tennessee State a 65-62 lead. The Tigers led 69-68 when a turnover gave Murray State the ball with 11.2 seconds to play. Tennessee State stole the inbounds pass and Covington was fouled with 9.7 seconds left, but he missed both free throws.

Canaan turned the ball over and committed a foul with 3.5 seconds to play. Kenny Moore made two free throws to make it a three-point lead.

Murray State again turned the ball over on a long inbounds pass and Jordan Cyphers made one of two free throws to seal the upset.

AROUND THE NATION

GAELS TUMBLE ON ROAD -- At Spokane, Wash., Kevin Pangos scored 27 points and Gonzaga beat No. 16 Saint Mary's (Calif.) 73-59, snapping the Gaels' 12-game winning streak. Rob Sacre and Gary Bell Jr. each added 12 points for Gonzaga (19-4, 9-2 West Coast). Matthew Dellavedova scored 20 points for Saint Mary's (22-3, 11-1).

BULLDOGS CRUISE -- At Starkville, Miss., Arnett Moultrie scored 18 points and Dee Bost dished a career-high 13 assists as No. 20 Mississippi State (19-5, 6-3 Southeastern) notched a 70-60 win over Mississippi (14-9, 4-5).

BADGERS WIN IN OT -- At Minneapolis, Jordan Taylor scored 27 points and No. 21 Wisconsin (19-6, 8-4 Big Ten) beat Minnesota 68-61 in overtime despite failing to score over the last 7-plus minutes of the second half. Andre Hollins had 20 points for the Gophers (17-8, 5-7).

INDIANA STOPS ILLINI -- At Bloomington, Ind., Cody Zeller scored 22 points and Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford both had 18 for No. 23 Indiana (19-6, 7-6 Big Ten) in an 84-71 win over Illinois (16-8, 5-6).

REGIONAL

UNR GETS BACK ON TRACK -- At Honolulu, UNR (19-4, 8-1 Western Athletic) overcame a three-point halftime deficit to beat Hawaii, 88-79. It was the first game for the Wolf Pack since their 16-game winning streak was ended Saturday against Idaho.