Northern Kentucky women’s basketball dropped a high-scoring affair to in-state foe Murray State on Saturday evening, falling to the Racers, 98-87. With the setback, NKU dips to 0-3 on the season while Murray State picked up its first win at 1-2.
STAT LEADERS
· Four Norse scored in double figures, with three freshmen posting career nights.
· Samari Mowbray led the Norse with 19 points and seven rebounds, and also paced the team on defense with three steals.
· Kailey Coffey added 15 points and seven rebounds along with three assists and two steals.
· Molly Glick scored in double digits for her third-straight game with 13 points, also dishing out four assists.
· Chyna Anthony rounded out the top scorers with 10 points and six rebounds in 10 minutes of action. Anthony went 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
· The Norse trailed by three in the first quarter, but went on to out-score the Racers 23-18 in the second quarter to hold a two-point advantage heading into the break.
· Murray State stayed in the contest with its effort from 3-point range with five triples, and the Racers were also flawless from the free throw line with nine makes on as many attempts.
· Both teams shot above 40.0 percent in the half, and NKU was led by Coffey and Mowbray with 11 points apiece.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
· A 26-point second half from Murray State’s Ke’Shunan James boosted the Racers in the second half of the contest. NKU maintained the lead going into the final 10 minutes, but Murray State poured in 34 points in the final quarter to take the lead.
· Murray State made a key run at the 78-77 mark, going on a 12-2 run to extend to what was at that point its largest lead of the contest.
· Once again, the Racers shone from long range and the free throw line with six treys and 22 free throws.
· Mowbray added eight more points, while Glick and Taryn Taugher each chipped in seven points.
NORSE NOTES
· Both teams shot above 50.0 percent for the entire game, with NKU connecting at 50.8 percent while the Racers shot 50.9 percent, including 40.7 perfect from 3-point range.
· NKU out-rebounded the Racers 38-25 and had 14 offensive rebounds.
· The Norse also out-scored the Racers in the paint, 44-32, but Murray State took advantage of NKU’s 25 miscues and scored 30 points off turnovers and 19 fast break points.
· NKU maintains the all-time advantage over Murray State, 9-4, but the Racers have won both contests since the Norse made the transition to Division I.
· The Norse had not scored 80 points in a game since Jan. 7, when NKU put up 87 in a win over Youngstown State.
· With 15 points from Coffey and 19 points from Mowbray, NKU had two players post 15 points for the first time this season, with the last occurrence being on Feb. 24 against Milwaukee.
UP NEXT
NKU returns to Highland Heights to host Robert Morris on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. ET. The game will be Victor’s Hoops 4 Health, which promotes health education for local elementary schools.
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Chloe Smith
Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Northern Kentucky University
