Murray State
Samford
Second-half free throws, rebounds help Samford beat Lady Racers
1/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers had a 51-47 lead with 8:39 left in regulation, but host Samford had 16 free throws in the second half to MSU's three and 23 rebounds in the latter period to the Lady Racers' 11 en route to the 71-59 Ohio Valley Conference win over Murray State.
Murray State (5-9, 1-2 OVC) opened the game by scoring the first seven points, but the Bulldogs (9-5, 2-1 OVC) bouned back, using a 27-10 run to take a 10-point lead with 4:38 left in the first half. Samford took a 34-26 lead at the half.
The Lady Racers opened the second half on a 14-6 run to knot the game at 40-40 with 12:50 left in regulation, then took a 51-47 lead when junior guard Jill Fulkerson hit a three-pointer with 8:39 remaining.
Samford scored the next eight points to wrest the lead from MSU for good.
Murray State was whistled for 24 fouls -- 16 in the second half -- while Samford was called for 15 -- seven in the latter period. The Bulldogs were 23-for-30 from the line, while the Lady Racers were 5-for-8.
MSU was out-rebounded 38-22 by Samford -- 23-11 in the second half . The Lady Racers had only seven offensive rebounds, while the Bulldogs grabbed 26 of MSU's missed shots.
"(Samford) played a very physical game, and we just were not up to the challenge," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "We have got to do a better job on the boards, crashing the boards, and going after missed shots."
Murray State was led by junior forward Jessie Hirsch, who had 16 points and a co-game-high four steals to go with three rebounds.
Fulkerson didn't play in the first half, but put in a career-high 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from three-point range in the second half. Freshman guard Shaleea Petty added 12 points to go with four rebounds and a game-high five assists to bolster her league-leading average.
Senior guard Rebecca Remington grabbed a team-high five rebounds for MSU.
Samford was paced by 20 points from Veronica Pike, who also had five rebounds, while LaBrena Friend put in 15 points to go with five boards. Cora Beth Smith scored 12 points and had four steals, while Tish Pilkerton had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sarah Clement has seven rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Taryn Towns had three assists.
Murray State continues its road trip with a game at Jacksonville State. Game time is set for 5 p.m. Saturday.
