Racers Put Away Colonels at the Line
The Murray State women used a 17-for-26 (65.3 percent) first-half shooting performance and an incredible 26-of-28 (92.9 percent) night at the free throw line on its way to a 75-68 victory Saturday night over Eastern Kentucky at the CFSB Center.
It was a tale of two halves Saturday night as the Racers (8-13, 4-6 OVC) shot just 4-for-24 in the second half (16.7 percent) and went 0-for-5 from behind the 3-point line after a 7-of-11 first half from behind the arc. However, MSU missed just one free throw in the second half and made 15 of its 26 freebies in the fourth quarter alone.
After a 27-23 first quarter, MSU led by as many as 13 points on multiple occasions in the first half and carried a 46-37 lead into halftime.
MSU would not relinquish the lead in the second half as the Colonels (7-12, 4-6 OVC) would get the score within two, 48-46 with 4:16 left in the third period. After that, Ke’Shunan James’ personal six-point run put the Racers back up by eight and ahead 58-51 after three. In the fourth, MSU led by as many as 11 points. A six-point deficit was as close as EKU could get in the final stanza.
James led the way with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting on the night. James also added a team-best eight rebounds and had three steals. Bria Bethea added 19 points off the bench as she shot 5-for-10 overall and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. The duo combined to go 13-for-14 at the free-throw stripe.
Janika Griffith-Wallace added 12 points on the night, the most she has scored on the season against a Division I opponent. Abria Gulledge chipped in with seven points while Brianna Crane had six points and six boards in the win.
Despite being outscored 38-14 in the paint and 18-5 on second-chance points, the Racers had a 15-12 edge in points off turnovers and made 14 more free throws than the Colonels. MSU also hit three more 3-pointers on the night
The Racers return to action next week with a pair of road contests. MSU faces Southeast Missouri Thursday at 5:15 p.m.
Kevin DeVries
