Robinson Joins 1000-Point Club - Late Rally Falls Just Short at Ole Miss

Monday, December 19

University, Miss.

5:00 PM

Murray State

Mississippi

Photo by: Tab Brockman

Robinson Joins 1000-Point Club - Late Rally Falls Just Short at Ole Miss

12/19/2011 9:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score I Box Score (pdf)

After having nine days rest, the Murray State women's basketball team came back with a stronger effort, but fell just short to Mississippi, 64-59, in the first game of the Magnolia Classic at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Miss.

The Racers (3-7) were led by junior Mariah Robinson and red-shirt junior Erica Burgess. Both tallied 19 points, with Robinson adding seven rebounds and Burgess recording a season-best six boards. Senior Kayla Lowe was the third player on the team in double-digits, with 16 and four rebounds.

The first half was a tight battle throughout, with the largest lead being five by the Racers and three by the Rebels (8-3). MSU got its five-point lead with 17 minutes left to play after a 6-0 run that gave them an 8-3 lead. Ole Miss countered with a 6-1 run to tie the game at nine with 13:30 left to play in the opening stanza. Both teams then traded 4-0 runs and baskets over the rest of the half before a final 4-0 run by the Rebels, in the final minute, gave them a 26-23 lead heading into the locker room.

Ole Miss came out firing in the second half, going on an 8-2 run over the first three minutes of the half. Both teams then went cold, with the next field goal coming at 12:58. The Rebels were up 39-33, with 11 minutes left to play, when Lowe went on a personal 8-3 run against Ole Miss over the next four minutes to cut the lead to one (42-41). The teams then traded baskets for the next two minutes, before a 7-2 run by the Rebels pushed the lead back five. Ole Miss kept pushing and had an eight-point lead with 1:51 left to play (57-49) when the Racers made a final push. Over the last two minutes MSU went on a 10-7 run, with all of Ole Miss' points coming at the free-throw line.

The Racers had a shot to tie the game with 28.8 second remaining when they were down three (59-56). Burgess got fouled on a triple attempt and went to the line for three free throws. However, she was able to convert on just one-of-three.

Shooting percentages and late free throws were the keys to the game. MSU shot 29.3 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from beyond the arc, while the Rebels hit 41.1 percent of their shots and 36.8 of their triples. In the final two minutes of the game Ole Miss went 7-of-10 (11-of-17 for the game) from the charity stripe. The Racers were 3-of-5 from the line in the final two minutes and 9-of-15 for the game.

MSU will finish up the Magnolia Classic, Tuesday, Dec. 20 against Cleveland State at 5 p.m. in Tad Smith Coliseum.

Notes: Erica Burgess tallied more than 10 points for the first time since Dec. 3 (vs. Saint Louis)…first time the Racers had three players in double figures in scoring since Nov. 22 at Alabama A&M.