Ke’Shunan James became just the third Racer in program history to reach 2,000 career points Thursday night at Southeast Missouri and moved into second place on the all-time career scoring list, but it was not enough as the Racers came up short against the Redhawks, 80-70.
James joins Ashley N. Hayes (2005-09) and Sheila Smith (1985-89) as the only women to reach the 2,000-point milestone. James also surpassed Hayes for second place on the all-time scoring list at MSU and now has 2,009.
After a solid first half, MSU (8-14, 4-7 OVC) led 35-32 at the break, thanks in large part to a 10-of-11 shooting clip at the free-throw line. Both teams shot 44 percent from the floor in the first two quarters. The second half was a different story as SEMO (11-12, 6-5 OVC) shot 64.3 percent in the half while the Racers shot just 38 percent.
For the game, the Racers shot 40.7 percent and SEMO shot 54.5 percent overall. Neither team shot the ball well from 3-point range as MSU was just 5-of-22 and SEMO went 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.
After the great first half at the free-throw line for the Racers, the second half was a different story as they went just 6-for-9 at the line.
The Redhawks outscored MSU 50-30 in paint points Thursday while the Racers had a 13-8 edge in second-chance points. Both squads scored 19 points off turnovers.
The Redhawks led 56-54 after three quarters thanks to a near-half court 3-pointer to end the period. SEMO then began the final period with a 6-1 run to take a 62-55 lead to begin the fourth. After a made layup from James after she followed her own missed free throw, the Racers trailed just 71-68 with 2:45 left to play. Then, however, the Redhawks scored the next seven points to go up 78-68 and essentially put the game away.
James led the way in the loss with another double-double as she scored a game-high 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. James also had a team-best four assists in the contest. Bria Bethea added 13 poitns, 12 of which came in the first half while Jasmine Borders added 11 and hit a trio of 3-pointers.
MSU returns to action Saturday on the road as it travels to face UT Martin at 4 p.m.
by Kevin DeVries
