Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UT Martin
Double Double-Double Night Not Enough to Push Racers Past Skyhawks
1/29/2011 8:59:38 PM | Women's Basketball
Box Score
The Racers were led by sophomore Mariah Robinson and red-shirt freshman Jessica Winfrey. Both players earned a double-double for MSU, marking the first time since the 2000-01 campaign that the Racers had two players earn a double-double in the same game twice during a season. Robinson tallied 25 points and added a career-best 14 rebounds, while Winfrey garnered 11 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Candace Nevels also added a career-high eight points.
The opening half was filled with eight lead changes and two tie scores. Both teams used several runs to force a tug-of-war for control of the scoreboard and it started in the first minute of play. Winfrey hit a three for MSU at 19:38 and it was quickly followed by an 8-0 run by the Skyhawks (13-8, 8-2 OVC) over the next three minutes. The Racers countered with a 6-0 run and then a 9-1 run to the half-way point of the stanza. UTM then used another 8-0 run over the next three minutes to take the lead back. MSU kept fighting and with six points from Nevels, tied the game at 26 with 4:28 remaining. The Skyhawks then took control and went on a 7-2 run for 2:30. In the final two minutes the Racers came back with a 7-0 run to take a 35-33 lead into the locker room.
In the first two minutes of the second half both teams struggled to make a shot, but it was UTM that broke the streak first and started the half with a 4-0 run to take a short lead. Robinson hit one of her five three's to break the run and both teams then traded points for the next few minutes. The Skyhawks then took control for good starting with 13:30 left to play. UTM used a 15-4 run over the next five minutes to build its lead to eight points. MSU was only able to get within six points over the next minute before the Skyhawks increased the advantage even more and earned the victory.
Three-point shots and turnovers were the keys to the game, with UTM earning advantages in both columns. The Skyhawks shot 38.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc, while the Racers hit 28.9 percent of their overall shots and 32.3 of those from three-point range. Both teams hit a large number of three's; with UTM earning a 14-10 advantage in the column. The Skyhawks also took advantage of their differential in the turnover column (MSU-14, UTM-5), tallying 12 points off turnovers.
The Racers will hit the road next weekend for two OVC games. MSU will first stop in Nashville, Tenn., to face Tennessee State (Feb. 3) and will then travel to Clarksville, Tenn., to play Austin Peay (Feb. 5). Both games are scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m.
Notes: Sophomore Mariah Robinson tallied her double-double in the first 18 minutes of action, including 11 rebounds that tied her career high…the last time that MSU had two players earn a double-double in two different games in a season was 2000-01 when Monika Gadson and Stacy Holmes did so Dec. 7, 2000 and Gadson and Denise McDonald did so Jan. 6, 2001…the 10 three's hit by MSU in the game was a season-best.
