Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Austin Peay
Racers Fall in Final Minutes to Austin Peay at the RSEC
2/7/2010 2:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State women's basketball team lost a tight battle with Austin Peay, 76-72, at the Regional Special Events Center. The Racers are now 10-13 overall and 5-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference standings.
MSU was led by sophomore Rachael Isom, who tallied 23 points to lead three Racers in double-digit scoring. Seniors Mallory Luckett and Kayla Vance also added at least 10 points, with Vance tallying 11 and Luckett adding 10. Luckett tallied her fifth double-double of the season, as she garnered a career-high 11 assists.
The game started out close in the opening three minutes before either team was able to garner a lead larger than three. The Lady Govs went on a 14-3 run over the next seven minutes to take an 11-point advantage. The Racers used the rest of the half to slowly chip away at the deficit, but could not get any closer than six points, and went into the locker room with a 31-25 disadvantage.
The second half started renewed the back-and-forth battle, as APSU kept its lead between four and eight points for the first eight minutes. With just over 12 minutes left to play, MSU started a come-back, with a 5-0 run, that was capped off with a three-pointer from Mallory Schwab. The run cut the deficit to one point (44-45). The Racers kept the game close for the next three minutes and then Vance gave MSU its first lead of the game, with 8:54 left to play.
The Racers stepped up the defense and went on a 7-0 run to take a 53-49 advantage. However, the Lady Govs were not done fighting and tied the game again at 57. The teams then traded runs until there was 1:31 left on the clock. The game was tied at 68 when APSU's Meghan Bussabarger hit a triple to give the Lady Govs the lead for good. The Racers cut the lead to one in the final minute, but a jumper from Bussabarger and three free throws by the Lady Govs sealed the victory.
For the second game in a row free throws helped to determine the winner. APSU went 17-of-23 from the line, while the Racers went 10-of-12. The Lady Govs also earned an advantage on the boards, out-rebounding MSU, 49-35.
The Racers return to the road for a two-game road swing next weekend. MSU travels to face Tennessee Tech (Feb. 11) and Jacksonville State (Feb. 13) before coming back to the RSEC for the final two home games of the regular season, Feb. 18 and 20.
Notes: Sophomore Rachael Isom tallied the Racers' first five points...Isom has tallied at least 20 points against the Lady Govs in the last two meetings.
Quotes
Head Coach Rob Cross
"This was a tough loss. We didn't play well in the first half, but played better defensively in the second half."
"The lack of defense discipline is what cost us the ball game tonight."
