Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Eastern Illinois
.jpg&height=300&type=webp)
EIU pushes past Lady Racers 72-68
1/2/2006 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Murray State (3-9, 2-3 OVC) was held to 32.1-percent shooting, hitting 26 of its 81 shots, but despite EIU hitting 46.6 percent (27-for-58) of its shots, the Panthers (4-7, 3-1 OVC) were held to 72 points, a season-low for MSU opponents.
Murray State jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first six points of the game, using a fast-paced, in-your-face defense and pushing the ball down the court on offense.
The Lady Racers had a 21-17 lead when junior forward Joi Scott hit a three-pointer with 8:44 left in the first half before Eastern Illinois went on a 10-0 run, capping it with a free throw by Megan Sparks with 5:37 left in the half to give the Panthers a 27-21 advantage.
MSU then scored the next six points on four free throws by freshman guard Amber Guffey and a basket from senior forward Jessie Hirsch to knot the game at 27-27 with 1:30 left in the period. The teams then exchanged scores until halftime, when EIU had a 31-29 edge.
In the second half, the Panthers pushed out to a 52-45 lead with 12:45 remaining in regulation until a trey and a layup by Scott and two free throws by Guffey tied the game at 52-52 with 10:30 left.
The game seesawed from that point, with MSU taking its final lead of the game on a three-pointer from Guffey with 6:41 remaining to give the Lady Racers a 61-59 lead. Eastern Illinois pushed out to a 66-61 lead, but a layup by Scott and a three-pointer by junior guard Ashley Brooke Hayes tied it at 66-66 with 3:20 remaining.
Sparks hit two free throws to give EIU a 68-66 lead with 1:39 left, but a jumper by Scott tied the game for the 12th and last time with 1:28 remaining. Ellen Canale hit a layup for the Panthers with 1:06 left in the game, and Murray State missed its opportunities to score, being forced to foul late in the game and all EIU two more free throws for the final score.
"We came out and played a little better defensively, but shooting 32 percent is not going to win very many games," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "In the end, we had a couple of breakdowns, and we just need to learn how to sustain our effort and keep our heads in the game when things are tough.
"In the first half, we figured that we were 9-for-23 in the paint, and that's not acceptable. We've got to do a better job inside."
Murray State was led by Scott's game-high 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting to go with eight rebounds. Guffey added 11 points, including a 6-for-6 night from the line.
Junior post Erica Gordian had a team-high nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Shaleea Petty handed out a game-high six assists, and she and Hayes each had a game-high three steals, with Hayes tying a career-high in that category.
Eastern Illinois was paced by Sparks' 15 points to go with seven rebounds. Megan Edwards added 13 points and had a team-high five assists, while Canale had 11 points and seven rebounds and Rachel Galligan had 11 points and three blocked shots. Lauren Sims pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for the Panthers.
Murray State concluded its four-game road swing tonight, and begins a three-game homestand on Thursday, when the Lady Racers host Tennessee State at 5:15 p.m.
