Women’s Basketball Hosts Local Foe Mid-Continent on Thursday

Thursday, December 6

CFSB Center

7 p.m.

Murray State

Mid-Continent

Photo by: Tab Brockman

Women’s Basketball Hosts Local Foe Mid-Continent on Thursday

12/5/2012 7:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes | Live Audio | Live Video | Live Stats

TV: None
Radio: 1340 WNBS
Web Streaming: Video – OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @MSURacers @PGriffithMSU
Series: MSU 4-0
At Murray: MSU 4-0
At BSU: ---
Neutral: ---

The Murray State women's basketball team will put its five-game win-streak on the line on Thursday when it hosts Mid-Continent at the CFSB Center at 7 p.m.

The Racers won their fifth game in as many contests on Saturday when they topped Southern Illinois for the first time in 20 tries, 67-55, at the CFB Center.

The Salukis led just twice in the game, both coming in the first half, with the remainder of the contest belonging solely to the Racers. Southern Illinois led by one with 8:47 to play in the first, but after MSU (5-3) retook the lead nine seconds later, they never relinquished it.

Murray State led by nine at the break and went on to lead by as many as 21 in the second half. The Racers out-shot SIU, 37.9 to 36.1 percent in the contest, and finished the game 3.6 percent better than their season average heading into the contest.

While Murray State's turned in an uncharacteristic 53.3 performance from the free throw line in the game, they more than made up from behind-the-arc, where they shot a season-high 52.9 percent. MSU finished the night 9-for-17 from 3-point range, with six of the nine coming from senior Mariah Robinson.

Robinson scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Racers for the fifth time this season. Through eight games so far this year, Robinson leads Murray State with 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds a game. Freshman Kelsey Dirks scored a career-high 11 points and tied a career-high with 10 rebounds to notch the first double-double of collegiate career. Senior Kyra Watson also a big night for MSU as ended the game with 11 points, two rebounds and three steals.

On Tuesday, freshman Erika Sisk was named as the adidas® OVC Freshman of the Week for the second straight week. The first-year guard had another huge week in which she averaged 16.5 points, three rebounds and 3.5 steals per game.

In MSU's win over Ball State, she led all scorers in the contest with a career-high 26 points. Sisk also had a solid week at the line where she went 7-for-10 and from the floor where she shot 44.8 percent. Her stellar shooting percentage for the week also raised her season percentage almost 10 points, from 18.8 to 27.7.

The freshman now joins senior Mariah Robinson as the only two Murray State players to win more than one honor more than once and joins junior Jessica Winfrey and former Racer Jenny Petrie as the only four Racers to claim the award, according to OVC records that date back to the 2006-07 season. She is now also the first Racer to the win the award in back-to-back weeks and the first freshman overall to do so since Tennessee State's Tayla Foster did in February of 2011.

Tuesday will mark the fifth straight meeting in as many seasons between the two squads with the Racers winning all four previous contests. The Cougars have always made the short drive from Mayfield to Murray and have lost on each occasion. The biggest win in the series came last season when the Racers won by 55, 103-48. The closest win in the series for MSU was in 2010 when MSU won by 22, 76-54.

Mid-Continent is currently 4-10 on the season and have lost their last four contests. In their last contest, the Cougars lost at Division II Southern Indiana, 98-52… Kara Carneyhan led MCU with 15 points, while Breona Houston had a team-high seven rebounds. Stephanie Malone currently leads MCU with 18.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, while Houston follows closely behind with 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Thursday's game will be broadcast on 1340 AM WNBS, as well as a free live video stream on the OVC Digital Network. Live stats for Thursday night will also be available on GoRacers.com.