Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
7-4
Incarnate Word
0-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incarnate Word | 12 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 68 |
| Murray State | 16 | 18 | 25 | 13 | 72 |
Racers Edge Cardinals in Wichita
12/16/2016 6:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Abria Gulledge was able to break a 65-65 tie with 2:11 remaining in the game with a 3-pointer and Murray State hit four free throws the final half minute of the game as the Racers survived to win 72-68 over Incarnate Word Friday afternoon in Wichita, Kan., at the Wichita State Winter Classic.
Gulledge was also able to make a free throw with 14 seconds left to put the Racers up by three and Ke'Shunan James hit three from the charity stripe in the final 23 seconds to help MSU clinch the win. The Racers improve to 7-4 on the season and the win gives the Racers a season-high three-game winning streak.
MSU was able to remain in control for much of the game, despite the final score as the Cardinals (0-8) led just once, on a 3-pointer for the opening basket of the game. The Racers also led by double-digits at multiple times throughout the contest and had a 14-point margin at one point in the third quarter.
The Racers were able to lead by 10 points on multiple occasions in the first half, however, UIW was able to go on a run to end the second quarter and made the score just 34-31 in favor of the Racers at halftime. After a UIW hoop to open the second half and tie the game, the Racers went on a quick 10-0 run in less than two minutes and led 44-34 with 7:41 remaining in the third period.
The Racers maintained their double-digit lead for much of the third quarter and carried a 59-48 advantage into the fourth quarter. Leading 61-48 with 8:22 left in the game, the resilient Cardinals went on a 17-4 run to tie the game at 65-65.
It was a pretty decent shooting performance from the Racers as they shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field and hit 9-of-22 (41 percent) from beyond the arc. UIW shot 37.5 percent overall and was 10-for-29 (34.5 percent) from 3-point range. The Racers went 11-of-18 from the free-throw line while Incarnate Word attempted just five from the stripe, making four of those.
LeAsia Wright led the Racers with 20 points in the win. Wright went 7-for-12 shooting and 4-of-8 from 3-point range while also grabbing a career-high nine rebounds. James added 16 points while Gulledge and Jasmine Borders each had 15 on the afternoon. Kyra Gulledge also matched Wright's game-high with nine boards.
Both teams recorded 40 rebounds in the contest with UIW holding a 12-7 edge on offensive boards. However, the Cardinals managed just a 13-12 edge on second-chance points. Both teams tallied 28 points in the paint with the Racers scoring nine points on just nine UIW turnovers. The Cardinals were only able to score four points off of 12 MSU turnovers.
MSU has a quick turnaround at the WSU Classic as the Racers will face Abilene Christian at 11 a.m., on Saturday at Koch Arena.
