Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Lady Racers tame Lady Lions 82-53; Trumblee, Remington score 19 each
11/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers started its game against visitin Arkansas-Pine Bluff a little flat, but took control soon after, using a 13-2 run in the first half and runs of 12-2 and 10-1 in the second half to blast past the Lady Golden Lions 82-53 this afternoon.
Leading the way for the Lady Racers (2-1) were sophomore center Lori Trumblee, who scored a co-game-high 19 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, and junior guard Rebecca Remington, who also put in 19 points and had a season-high seven boards.
MSU trailed only once early in the game and used a 13-2 run midway through the first half to burst out to a 21-10 lead when senior guard Stacy Holmes put in a jumpshot with 6:09 left in the first period.
The Lady Racers' largest lead of the first half was 12 points, when Trumblee hit a jumper with 1:02 left to put Murray State ahead 29-17.
The teams exchanged points to start the second half before the Lady Racers went on a 12-2 run, capped by two free throws by Remington to put MSU ahead 51-29 with 13:42 left in regulation.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-2) hit a basket before Murray State began another run, a 10-1 string that was capped by a three-pointer by senior guard Megan Fuqua to give the Lady Racers a 61-32 lead with 9:31 remaining.
MSU hit its largest lead when freshman guard/forward Gerraca Matthews hit a jumper to put the Lady Racers ahead 82-52 with 1:14 left.
"I was pleased with our rebounding effort," said MSU head coach Joi Williams. "We had 53 (to UAPB's 40). I was really proud of our kids and their good effort on the boards.
"We really want to work hard on our scoring defense. We want to contest the shots, and I think every shot (UAPB) had was contested.
"In our last game (against Morgan State), we came out flat after the first half with a big lead," Williams said, "and I really wanted to challenge our team today at halftime to put them down deeper, not to let up. Our kids rose to the challenge and stayed intense."
Junior guard Brittany Park added 12 points for Murray State, along with four assists and two steals, while Holmes had eight points, a career-high 13 rebounds and a career-high-tying three blocked shots. Senior guard Jenny Bowden handed out a career-high five assists for the Lady Racers.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff was led by 18 points from Maleka Sweat and 15 from Jennifer Nelson. Chekesha Johnson handed out a team-high seven rebounds, while Jennifer Nelson had six, all offensive boards. Latoya Thomas and Karel Irving each handed out three assists each, while Thomas and Nelson had two steals apiece.
Murray State visits Arkansas State on Monday at 7:05 p.m. That game will be available through GoRacers.com at the women's basketball schedule page. The Lady Racers will then travel to Jackson State for a Wednesday 7 p.m. contest.
