Murray State
Eastern Kentucky
Lady Racers move into third place with 81-56 romp over visiting EKU
1/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers moved from a four-way tie for fifth place in the Ohio Valley Conference to a four-way tie for third with a definitive 81-56 rout over visiting Eastern Kentucky tonight.
The 25-point decision was the largest for MSU (8-10, 4-3 OVC) over the Lady Colonels since a 90-65 win in Murray on Feb. 9, 1991, and the largest margin of victory in OVC play since a 94-58 win over Tennessee State on Jan. 13, 1997.
The Lady Racers find themselves in a four-way tied at 4-3 in the OVC standings with Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech and Morehead State (7-11, 4-3), which comes calling on Saturday.
Eastern Kentucky (8-10, 4-3 OVC) took a 4-2 lead with 18:06 left in the first half and didn't see the light of day after that, as Murray State used a 10-0 run to vault out to a 12-4 lead.
The Lady Racers took the lead for good on a three-pointer by freshman guard Ashley Hayes. Jumpshots by senior guard Jenny Bowden and junior forward Kaleena Miller soon followed, and a trey by senior guard Megan Fuqua capped the 10-0 run.
Murray State pushed out to a 22-point lead three times in the first half, taking a 44-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Lady Racers shot 50 percent (18 for 36) in the first half, with a staunch defense holding the Lady Colonels to 28-percent (7-for-25) shooting in the first period. MSU made six first-half turnovers to 14 by EKU, and out-rebounded Eastern Kentucky 20-19 at halftime.
In the second half, Murray State was able to maintain its lead, never leading by fewer than 17 points in the latter period. MSU took its largest lead, 81-53, when junior guard Rebecca Remington hit two free throws with 1:18 left.
"Our defensive intensity was good from the jump," said MSU head coach Joi Williams. "We forced 27 turnovers, and that's a testament to our defense. Eastern Kentucky is a very good team. They play you tough up and down the court. We came out in the second half a little flat, but I'm proud of the way we pulled it out."
Fuqua led all scorers with 19 points. Remington had 17 off the bench on 9-for-10 shooting from the line. Senior guard Stacy Holmes added 13 points, while junior guard Brittany Park put in 11 on 4-for-4 shooting from the field.
Sophomore center Lori Trumblee grabbed a team-high six rebounds for the Lady Racers, while Remington had five and Miller, Holmes, Fuqua and freshman guard Gerraca Matthews had four apiece.
Bowden handed out a career-high-tying six assists, while Park had four. Bowden, Fuqua and Remington swiped a team-high two steals each.
Eastern Kentucky was paced by 16 points and seven rebounds from Pam Garrett. Katie Kelly added 10 points and six boards. Kelly handed out five assists, while Candis Cook took three steals.
Murray State shot 46.8 percent (29 for 62) from the field to EKU's 35.7 percent (20 for 56). MSU made four of 17 three-point attempts, while the Lady Colonels hit three of four. The Lady Racers shot 76 percent (19 for 25) from the line, while Eastern Kentucky was 13-for-18 (7.2 percent).
Murray State brings its three-game win streak back to the Regional Special Events Center on Saturday when the Lady Racers host Morehead State at 5:15 p.m. That game will follow the televised men's game, and can be heard through the Teamline links at www.GoRacers.com or locally on WNBS (1340 AM).
