Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Tennessee Tech
Fuqua sets school record for threes, but Tech gets 'free' win, 72-64
2/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Senior guard Megan Fuqua set a school record with eight three-pointers at Tennessee Tech tonight, but the Golden Eaglettes put in 20 free throws in the second half to steal the 72-64 decision in Ohio Valley Conference play tonight.
Fuqua had 23 of her career-high 28 points in the first half, bombing at will, finishing the night hitting eight of 15 three attempts and pushing past the former school record of six treys, set by five people, including Fuqua herself against Savannah State on Feb. 18, 2002. Her 15 three-point attempts ranks second behind Misty Pierceall's 16, set at SEMO on Feb. 6, 1997.
The Lady Racers' 11 three-point baskets ties for seventh, and marked the third time this season that MSU had hit that many threes, a season-high.
Murray State (9-13, 5-6 OVC) opened the game by scoring the first five points and pushing out to a 13-4 lead with 15:18 left in the first half. Tennessee Tech (13-9, 8-3 OVC) went on a 13-3 run to take a 17-16 lead on a three-pointer by Andrea Brown with 8:25 left in the period.
The Lady Racers responded, going on a 20-5 run over the next six minutes, taking its largest lead at 36-22 with 2:41 left in the half on a three-pointer by Fuqua. MSU would equal that 14-point lead at 39-25 before settling into a 39-27 halftime advantage.
Murray State played a tenacious defense in the first half, forcing Tennessee Tech -- which came into the game with the fewest turnovers per game in the conference -- to commit 11 first-half errors to Murray State's four.
Fuqua was 8-for-11 from the field in the first 20 minutes, and hit seven of her 10 first-half three-point attempts.
Murray State reached its largest lead twice in the second half, a 41-27 lead when junior guard Rebecca Remington hit a layup and a 46-32 advantage when Fuqua popped a three-pointer with 16:39 left in regulation.
Tennessee Tech was able to take advantage of 16 second-half fouls called against the Lady Racers, allowing the Golden Eaglettes to hit 20 of 27 free-throw attempts. TTU was called for seven second-half fouls.
After MSU took its 46-32 lead, over the next five minutes, Tennessee Tech went on a 12-2 run (six of those points from the line) to pull to within 48-44 when Kendall Cavin hit one of two free-throw attempts with 11:21 left.
MSU was able to maintain its lead, but the Golden Eaglettes scored six unanswered points (including three free throws) to take a 56-55 lead with 5:37 left.
The Lady Racers scored the next four points -- all on free throws by sophomore center Lori Trumblee and senior guard Jenny Bowden -- to take a 59-56 lead with 4:32 left. After the teams exchanged free throws, TTU went on a 10-0 run to push ahead to a 67-60 lead with 1:06 remaining. Murray State would get no closer than five points, taking the 72-64 loss.
"We felt like we had a challenge coming in," said MSU head coach Joi Williams. "This was a great opportunity for us, coming in against the No. 2 team in the conference.
"We were disappointed in the outcome, but we worked hard for a majority of the game. (Tennessee Tech) spread our defense more in the second half, and we've got to be able to score more in the paint. Hopefully, we'll learn from this and do well Saturday at Austin Peay."
Fuqua's 28 points led all scorers. Remington put in 13 points for Murray State. Senior guard Stacy Holmes had a co-game-high eight rebounds, while Fuqua, Remington and freshman forward Angela Mullins handed out a team-high three assists each. Bowden, Fuqua and junior guard Brittany Park swiped a team-high two steals apiece.
Tennessee Tech was paced by 16 points, eight rebounds and sen assists by Emily Christian. Jenna Baltimore added 12 points, while Cavin added 11 and Tynisha Alexander had 10. Cavin also had three steals in the game.
In a battle between the teams with the fewest turnovers in the OVC (Tech (Tech ranks first at 14.7 per game, while Murray State is second at 16.7 per game), the Lady Racers had 11 turnovers to TTU's 17.
Murray State continues on to Game 4 of the five-game road swing on Saturday at Austin Peay. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and can be heard through the "Teamline" links at www.GoRacers.com or locally on WNBS (1340 AM).
