Bria Bethea scored a game-high 27 points, just one off her career-high and grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds as she helped lead Murray State to a 72-63 victory Saturday night at Tennessee Tech. It was the Racers’ first OVC road win of the season.
Much of the first three quarters of the game were back and forth, as the Racers trailed 36-34 at halftime. In the third, MSU (6-11, 2-4 OVC) led by as many as four, 46-42 with 2:36 left to play in the period and the Racers led 48-47 after three.
In the fourth, MSU outscored the Golden Eagles (4-13, 1-5 OVC) 24-16 in the frame and was able to pull away late for the victory. The Racers went 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. The Racers led from start-to-finish in the fourth, as the close as TTU would get would be 53-52 with 6:55 left to play before MSU went on a 9-2 run and led 62-54 with 3:46 to play.
In addition to Bethea’s big night, Ke’Shunan James had a solid game as she added 16 points and a season-high eight assists. Jasmine Borders added 14 while Brianna Crane chipped in with eight points and grabbed seven boards.
MSU shot 45.6 percent overall for the game while the Golden Eagles shot 39.2 percent. The Racers also hit seven 3-pointers in the win. The Racers out-rebounded TTU 34-32 and had a 36-28 edge in points in the paint.
Bethea’s contribution off the bench gave the Racers a huge advantage there as MSU got 29 from reserves while TTU didn’t have a single bench point.
The Racers return to action Wednesday as they continue their four-game road trip at Belmont. Tip time with the defending champion Bruins is set for 6 p.m. in Nashville.
Kevin DeVries
Media Relations Assistant (Baseball, Volleyball and Women’s Basketball)
Murray State University
