Murray State
UNC Charlotte
UNCC goes over-board in 88-74 win over Lady Racers
12/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Visiting UNC Charlotte dominated the rebounds in its game at Murray State tonight, but early turnovers and mediocre shooting allowed the homestanding Lady Racers to get out to as much as a 13-point lead midway through the first half and take a 39-35 lead at the half. The rebounding imbalance soon became apparent, and the 49ers were able to secure the win, 88-74.
Murray State (3-3) used a 19-2 run to push out to a 21-8 lead with 12:35 left in the first half and led 23-10 with 11:21 left in the period. UNC Charlotte (8-0) scored the next seven points and eventually tied the game three times before the Lady Racers went into the locker room with a 39-35 lead at the half.
The 49ers used a 16-2 run early in the second half to take the lead for good and a 10-0 run midway through the period to cement the win.
Murray State was led by junior forward Jessica Hirsch, who had co-game-highs 18 points and three steals to go with five rebounds. Sophomore guard Ashley Hayes and senior guard Rebecca Remington added 14 points each for MSU. Sophomore guard Gerraca Matthews also had five rebounds, while freshman guard Shaleea Petty had seven assists, while Hayes had five assists.
For UNCC (8-0), Sakellie Daniels had two points in the first half on 0-for-7 shooting from the field, but finished with a co-game-high 18 points, shooting 6-for-8 in the latter period. Courtney Williams and Krystion Obie added 12 points each, while Andrea Davidson and Pam Brown put in 11 apiece. Williams had a double-double with 15 rebounds, while Tameka Smith grabbed 12 rebounds. Monica League handed out 11 assists, while Daniels had three steals.
UNCC out-rebounded Murray State 58-36 in the game, 27-14 in the second half.
"When you play teams like this, you've got to do the little things," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "Rebounding wasn't a little thing, but we gave up 25 offensive boards, and we won't be successful if we do that.
"We can learn a lot from this game, and hopefully, it will help us down the road when we play in conference."
Murray State takes a week off for finals before returning to the hardwood on Friday, Dec. 17, when the Lady Racers host Arkansas-Little Rock.
