Murray State
Western Kentucky
Lady Racers Nipped At WKU 67-60
11/20/2006 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers visited No. 35 Western Kentucky tonight and battled them from tipoff to buzzer, but it was the homestanding Lady Toppers who pulled out a 67-60 win.
Murray State (2-2) applied pressure from the start, and that tenacity paid off, as the Lady Racers were able to keep pace with the homestanding Lady Toppers early on. A lay-in by sophomore Amber Guffey pulled the Lady Racers to within 18-17 with 7:45 left in the first half, but the Western Kentucky offense picked up the pace, going on a 7-0 run to push out to a 25-17 lead. Senior Joi Scott hit both free throws with two seconds left in the half to pull MSU to within 30-25 at intermission.
Scott and Guffey led the Lady Racers with eight points each at halftime, while Dominique Duck paced the Lady Toppers (2-1) with 12 points. Free throws helped keep Murray State in the game, as MSU hit nine of its 10 first-half attempts, while WKU was 4-for-6 from the line. Murray State was 7-for-27 (25.9 percent) from the field in the first period, while Western was 11-for-30 (36.7 percent). Scott and sophomore Ashley Nichole Hayes had four rebounds each to lead the Lady Racers, while Charlotte Marshall had six to lead the Lady Toppers. MSU committed six first-half turnovers, forcing WKU into seven first-half miscues.
Early in the second half, MSU maintained its stingy defense and pulled to within 35-32 when Scott hit two free throws with 16:34 left in regulation. Western Kentucky then went on a 12-4 run to take a 47-36 lead with 11:39 left in the game, but the Lady Racers took a 13-4 run of their own, capped by a three-pointer by senior Erica Gordian to pull to within 51-49 with 7:56 remaining. The Lady Toppers then used an 11-3 run to push out to a 10-point lead, 62-52, and were able to keep MSU at arm's length for the 67-60 final.
From the 3:55 mark to the 1:01 mark of the second half, neither team was able to score.
"I was very proud of our effort tonight," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "We held them to 35.8-percent shooting, a team that usually shoots very well. We gave an outstanding effort, especially on defense.
"Joi Scott played an excellent game tonight. She was paired up with (WKU's) Crystal Kelly, and she is a very talented post player, one of the best in the country, so that also says a lot about the way we played tonight. We didn't come in here to play them close, but I am very pleased with the way we played."
Scott led Murray State with 20 points and 10 rebounds, going 9-for-11 from the line. Guffey put in 17 points, going 5-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line. Ashley Nichole Hayes had nine points and nine rebounds.
WKU was led by Kelly's 25 points and 11 rebounds. Dominique Duck added 14 points, while Charlotte Marshall had 10 points and nine boards.
Murray State will take Thanksgiving weekend off before returning to action on Nov. 28 at Cincinnati.
