Murray State
Southern Illinois
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Lady Racers Stopped At SIU 77-68
11/17/2006 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers visited regional rival Southern Illinois and battled all night long, but fell 77-68.
Both teams played a physical game down low, with Murray State (2-1) convertingon 20 of 24 free-throw attempts and SIU (1-1) going 9-for-22 from the line.
Murray State scored the first four points of the game on baskets by junior Shaleea Petty, but the host Salukis came back to tie the game at 4-4. MSU led 10-9 until SIU went on an 8-0 run to take a 17-10 lead with 12:14 remaining in the first half. The Lady Racers pulled to within 17-14 on a bucket from senior Joi Scott, but Southern Illinois pushed back out to a 25-16 lead with 7:15 left in the half.
Free throws by Scott and a circus basket by sophomore Amber Guffey pulled MSU to within 25-24 with 4:24 left in the half, thanks also to a tenacious Lady Racer defense. A driving basket by Scott gave Murray State a 26-25 lead with 3:27 left. Two free throws from Scott capped a 12-0 run by the Lady Racers with 2:47 left in the period, giving MSU a 28-25 lead, having held the Salukis scoreless over a 5:13 period. A basket by SIU's Jayme Sweere as the shot clock expired gave SIU a 31-28 halftime lead.
At the half, Scott led all scorers with 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the line. Scott also had a co-game-high five rebounds at halftime. Southern Illinois was paced by 13 points off the bench from Dana Olsen on 5-for-7 shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes. Erica Smith had five rebounds for SIU in the first half.
A jumper by sophomore Ashley Nichole Hayes cut the Saluki lead to 42-38 with 15:36 left in regulation, but SIU went on a 13-3 run over the next four minutes to take a 55-41 lead with 11:33 remaining.
Murray State responded, going on a 15-3 run of its own over the next five minutes to close to within 58-56 with 6:32 remaining in regularion. Southern Illinois went on a 7-2 run over the next 2:44 to get out to a 65-58 lead. The Salukis were able to hold that lead the rest of the way for the win.
Murray State was led by Scott, who had game-highs with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Scott was 9-for-19 from the field and 10-for-13 from the field, taking down five offensive rebounds along the way.
Hayes finished with 10 points and four rebounds -- all offensive -- to go with a team-high three assists, while Guffey also finished with 10 points, going 6-for-6 from the line. Petty finished with a game-high five steals, more than Southern Illinois had as a team (3), and junior Alaina Lee went 4-for-4 from the line.
The Salukis were paced by Olsen's 24 points off the bench on 10-for-14 shooting from the field to go with five rebounds. Sweere added 18 points and six rebounds to go with five assists and four blocked shots, while Carlai Moore had 14 points and five boards.
"Our team showed a lot of poise," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "Joi Scott did a fantastic job tonight; I'm very proud of her. She stepped up and accepted the challenge. She was getting pushed around and knocked around, and she handled it wonderfully. Carlai Moore did a great job, but I think Joi Scott was the best player in the building."
Murray State continues its three-game road swing at Western Kentucky, with tipoff set for Monday at 7 p.m.
