The Flames started Missouri Valley Conference play on the road against the Murray State Racers (8-2, 1-0) with a loss Friday, 68-55.

The Flames were led offensively by Kristian Young, who scored 11 points, four assists and a season high five assists. Jaida McCloud also netted 11 and grabbed four rebounds.

The Flames now drop to 8-4 on the season and begin the MVC 0-1

Right from tip-off, the Racer began the game immediately on an 8-2 run heading into the first timeout. The Flames bridged the gap towards the end of the quarter, keeping it at a two-possession game, 15-11.

Then in the second quarter, the Racers had their strongest quarter of the game, outscoring the Flames 21-15. Biggest factor came from their work behind the perimeter, who landed six of their ten three-pointers in the first half alone.

The Flames continued to battle but the margin was too big to make ground in the remaining 20 minutes. Their best quarter on the night came right in the fourth, where they outscored the Racers, 19-14. On the cusp of bringing their deficit to single digits, the final buzzer sounded, and the Racers walked away with the win.


Once again, the Flames bench outscored the Racers, 17-13. Outscoring their opponents for the 10^th game this season, the bench was led by Danyel Middleton with nine points and two steals in 21 minutes of play.

Led by Young's five steals, the Flames finished the game with 13 steals collectively, accomplishing a season high for the team. This surpassed the former season high of eight in both the Chicago State on Nov. 14th  and Northwestern game on Dec. 14th. 

Going 9-for-13 from the charity stripe, the Flames landed 69.2% of their free throws. This is their second-best mark of the season. The only game they shot better was when they shot 85.2% from the free throw line against Northwestern.

The Flames are aiming to bounce back to begin 2023 when they head to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the Belmont Bruins (5-7, 1-0) on New Year's Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm.