The Murray State women’s basketball team is gearing up for its final two home games of the season, with a match against Drake set for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the CFSB Center. This game is especially important for the Racers, as they look to secure back-to-back wins for the first time in over a month.
In their last game, the Racers clinched their first conference road win of the season against Southern Illinois with a convincing 83-69 victory. Katelyn Young and Macey Turley led the way for Murray State, scoring 31 and 14 points respectively. The team will be looking to build on this momentum and maintain their winning form against Drake.
The first time Murray State faced Drake in Des Moines in January, they were unable to secure a win, despite a remarkable 43-point effort from Katelyn Young. The Bulldogs held on for an 80-67 win, leaving the Racers eager for a rematch at home.
Drake, currently sitting in fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, comes into this game on the back of a convincing 83-67 win over Illinois State on Sunday. The team has three players averaging double-digits this season, with Maggie Bair leading the pack at 15.6 points per game. Grace Berg follows closely behind with 10.4 points per game, and Katie Dinnebier also averages 10.4 points. Bair is also the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 8.4 per game.
To come out on top, Murray State will need to put in a strong performance against a team that averages 77.8 points per game on 46.9-percent shooting with 44.3 rebounds per game. Defensively, the Racers will need to shut down Drake’s offense, which has limited opponents to an average of 64.6 points per game on 36.2-percent shooting with 33.5 rebounds per game.
Murray State’s Macey Turley is also closing in on the program’s all-time 3-point record. She needs just eight more 3-pointers to surpass Mariah Robinson’s current record of 264. Meanwhile, Katelyn Young has been in excellent form, scoring back-to-back 30-plus point games and bringing her career total to eight such games. She trails Sheila Smith’s program record of 11 by just three.
In addition to these individual achievements, Macey Turley is also on the brink of joining the Murray State 2,000-point club. With just 13 points needed, Turley will join Sheila Smith, Ke’Shunan James, and Ashley N. Hayes as the only members of this exclusive club.
Thursday’s game is set to be an exciting match, with both teams eager for a win. The Racers will be hoping to end their home season on a high note, while Drake will be looking to boost their position in the conference standings. Fans can look forward to an action-packed game as both teams battle it out on the court.