Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Morgan State
Williams gets first career victory, Holmes named all-tourney in 66-42 win
11/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Lady Racers head coach Joi Williams got her first career win yesterday as her team used a fast-paced offense and stingy defense to claim a 66-42 win over Morgan State in the consolation game of the Fifth Third Bank MU Classic in Huntington, W.Va.
Murray State (1-1) held the Lady Bears to 10 first-half points, the third-fewest first-half points allowed in Lady Racer recorded history (the fourth-fewest for a single half) and the fewest since Feb. 9, 1977. Murray State held Fort Campbell to three points in the first half on Dec. 3, 1975, and Evansville to nine points in the first period on Feb. 9, 1977. MSU held Memphis to two points in the second half on Feb. 1, 1977.
The Lady Racers opened the game by scoring the first nine points -- led by a layup and a three-pointer by junior guard Rebecca Remington -- and never looked back. Murray State used a 10-0 run midway through the first half to vault out to a 20-3 lead with 6:42 left in the period. The Lady Racers led 31-10 at halftime.
Murray State opened the second half the same way it opened the first, scoring the first nine points of the half, capped by a jumpshot by senior guard Stacy Holmes to give the Lady Racers a 40-10 lead with 16:23 left in regulation.
The Lady Racers hit their largest lead when Holmes hit a layup to give Murray State a 45-12 lead with 14:30 left. Morgan State (0-2) never got closer than 24 points, the final margin of victory for Murray State.
"I was pleased with how we came out," Williams said. "We were more aggressive than we were yesterday. Defensively, we held (Morgan State) to 14-percent shooting in the first half. Our defense was great. Everybody contributed; it was a great team effort."
Murray State was led by Holmes and Remington, who had a team-high 15 points each. Holmes grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Remington had six and a game-high four assists.Junior guard Brittany Park put in nine points and had a game-high three steals, while Holmes and freshman center/forward Angela Mullins had a game-high two blocked shots apiece.
Holmes was named to the all-tournament team from Murray State. She averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the tournament.
The Lady Racers hit 41.4 percent (12 of 29) of their shots in the first half and 50 percent (15 of 30) in the second half. After opening the game going 1-for-4 from the line, Murray State finished the half hitting five of its last six free throws.
Morgan State was paced by Erinn Coleman, who had a game-high 16 points, and Candace Holmes, who had 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Lady Bears finished the game shooting 27.8 percent (15 of 54) from the field.
The Lady Racers next open their home schedule, taking on Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in the Regional Special Events Center. The game is the first part of a women's/men's double-header, as the Racers host Southern Mississippi at 3 p.m.
