The Murray State women’s basketball team rolled its way to an exhibition victory Thursday night at the CFSB Center as the Racers defeated Georgetown (Ky.) 108-56 to begin the Rechelle Turner Era at MSU.
The Racers’ frenzied pressure caused fits for the Tigers all night as MSU scored 45 points off 33 GC turnovers. MSU compiled 25 steals on the night as seven Racers recorded multiple steals, led by Janika Griffith-Wallace’s seven.
MSU shot 52.5 percent (42-of-80) from the floor and hit 13 3-pointers on 40.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Tigers shot just 34 percent in the contest and went 8-of-32 form long range. The Racers also had a big 40-12 advantage in points in the paint and outscored the Tigers 20-4 in fast break points.
Abria Gulledge led four Racers in double figures with 21 points in the win. Gulledge shot 7-of-10 from the field and made four of her seven 3-point attempts. Ke’Shunan James filled up the stat sheet as she added 20 points, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, tallied four assists and five steals. Bria Bethea added 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and Jasmine Borders chipped in with 11. Griffith-Wallace led MSU with six assists in her collegiate debut.
The Racers ended the first quarter on a 20-7 run and led 25-15 at the end of the quarter. A 16-3 run to open the second pushed the Racers’ lead to 41-18 and they eventually cruised to a 61-32 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Racers built their lead up to as many as 52 late in the fourth quarter.
In all, 12 Racers appeared in the exhibition as the MSU bench was led by Leah Richardson’s eight points. The Georgetown reserves outscored MSU’s 34-31 on the night.
MSU officially tips-off the 2017-18 season Nov. 12 at Evansville in a 1 p.m., contest.
Kevin DeVries
Media Relations Assistant (Baseball, Volleyball and Women’s Basketball)
Murray State University
