Murray State
Samford
Lady Racers push past Samford 71-61 in first-ever meeting
1/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Murray State head coach picked up her first-ever Ohio Valley Conference win in Murray State's first-ever meeting with Samford, a 71-61 battle bolstered by a strong Lady Racer second half.
With time running out in the first half, senior guard Megan Fuqua hit a buzzer-beating three-point fling to give the Lady Racers (5-9, 1-2 OVC) a 32-29 halftime lead.
Trailing 38-37 with 17:15 left in the game, Murray State used two 6-0 runs during a 17-8 string to push ahead to a 51-45 lead, capped with a trey by Fuqua with 13:07 left.
Samford (7-6, 1-2 OVC) fought back, pulling to within two points when Veronica Pike hit a jumper to oull the Bulldogs to within 51-49 with 9:47 remaining. Samford came within two again when Pike hit two free throws to narrow MSU's lead to 55-53 with 7:15 left, but the Lady Races went on a 10-2 run to keep Samford at arm's length.
Murray State was able to work out its rebounding problems, claiming 31 boards to Samford's 22, and holding the Bulldogs to just two offensive boards.
Both teams shot well, with MSU shooting 50.9 percent (29-for-57) and Samford hitting 47.8 percent (22-for-46).
"I thought we did a good job on the boards," Williams said. "Brittany Park did a good job inside, and all of our kids did a good job.
"I think Megan's three-pointer at halftime gave us some momentum. It was a broken play, but Megan was alert and heady, and her release is so quick, she can shoot it like that. We didn't play that well in the first half, and that really helped us out.
"We really had a lot of respect for Samford. Their shooters execute their offense well. We did a great job in the first half, and in the second half, we stepped it up."
Murray State was led by 16 points from Park, with 14 of those coming in the second half. Park made seven of her 10 shots from the field.
"In the first half, I was more on the perimeter," Park said, "but once I got to the post in the second half, I had more guards on me, and it was easier for me to shoot."
Senior guard Stacy Holmes had a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Fuqua had 15 points for the Lady Racers.
Junior forward Kaleena Miller had a team-high four assists, while Park had a game-high three steals. Holmes blocked a career-high four shots for MSU.
Samford was paced by 25 points from Alex Munday. Munday, Lindsey Harris, Chelsee Insell and Cora Beth Smith had a team-high three rebounds each. Harris had a game-high six assists for the Bulldogs.
Murray State continues this three-game homestand against OVC newcomer Jacksonville State on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. That game can be heard over the Internet through the Teamline links at www.GoRacers.com, and locally on WNBS (1340 AM, Murray).
