The Murray State women were able to get a much needed win Monday night at home at the CFSB Center. The Racers were able to defeat Eastern Kentucky 70-64 in an exciting, back-and-forth affair. The win was the first over the Colonels since 2011 and snaps a seven-game skid against EKU.
MSU’s fourth quarter shooting was a big reason for the victory on Monday as the Racers (13-11, 5-6 OVC) shot 8-of-12 from the floor in the final period while EKU (8-16, 5-6 OVC) shot just 6-for-17 the final 10 minutes. MSU was able to shoot an incredible 16-for-25 (65 percent) from the field in the second half and went 4-for-6 from 3-point range in the last two quarters.
After the Colonels were able to tie the game with a 3-pointer at 64-64 with 1:35 left to play, it was up to LeAsia Wright to be the hero for the Racers has she hit back-to-back buckets to put MSU out front for good. Wright knocked down an elbow jumper with 1:13 left to play to break the tie and then hit a runner in the lane to make it 68-64 with 29 seconds remaining. EKU missed its last three shots in the final minute and missed a pair of free throws as well.
For the game, there were 13 ties and 14 lead changes. The two were tied at 15-15 after the first quarter and at 28-28 going into halftime. The Racers were able to take a marginal 48-47 lead into the fourth.
Wright and Ke’Shunan James each scored a game-high 21 in the win. The duo combined to shoot 17-for-30 on the night with Wright going 3-of-6 from 3-point range. James meanwhile, grabbed eight boards and had a season-high five steals. It marks the ninth time this season that the Racers have had two or more score 20-plus in the same game. It is the eighth time that James and Wright have done so together and it is also the eighth time that the Racers have won the game in which the feat was accomplished.
Bria Bethea was the other Racer in double figures as she scored 10 points. Taylor Reese chipped in with five and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. Abria Gulledge added six points of her own and salted the game away with a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to play.
Although the Racers outrebounded EKU 36-35, the Colonels were the ones that had a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points on the night. EKU also had a slight 14-12 edge in points off turnovers and both teams scored 34 points in the paint. MSU outscored the EKU bench 16-9 in the game and the Racers had an 8-2 advantage in fast break points.
For the game, MSU shot an even 50 percent (25-for-50) from the floor and went 5-of-12 from beyond the arc. The Racers did struggle at the charity stripe on the night, going just 15-of-24. The Colonels shot 41 percent (27-for-66) from the floor and went 5-of-14 from 3-point range.
Next up, the Racers host Austin Peay Saturday in a 5 p.m., contest on Saturday. It will close MSU’s three-game homestand and will be a doubleheader with the men.
by Kevin DeVries
