Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
16-10,12-8OVC
Southeast Missouri
15-11,13-7OVC
Racers Topple SEMO In OVC Tourney Opener
3/4/2021 6:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MSU picks up first postseason win of Turner era
The sixth-seeded Murray State women's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2020 OVC Women's Basketball Championship with a 67-64 win over third-seeded Southeast Missouri Thursday at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It was not only the first postseason win under head coach Rechelle Turner, but also the first postseason win for the program as a whole since the 2015-16 season.
The Racers went down early in the game, as they were outscored by the Redhawks 19-8 in the first quarter. However, the Racers bounced back in the second and third quarters with 18 and 22 points, respectively. The third is where MSU did the majority of its damage, taking a lead early in the frame and building it to seven points by the end of the period,
The Redhawks, for their part, would not go quietly, whittling MSU's eight-point lead with just under five minutes to go to just one with 1:20 to play. The Racers, however, did what they have done all season, made their free throws down the stretch, hitting five of eight. Terri Smith did hit a 3-pointer for SEMO with just over a second left to cut the lead to just two, forcing the Redhawks to foul Alexis Burpo with 0.1 seconds remaining. Burpo went 1-for-2 at the line, but the shots proved inconsequential as there was no time to get a shot off afterwards for SEMO, allowing Murray State to hang on for the win.
Turley led all scorers in the game with 25 points, including going 10-for-11 from the free throw line. Katelyn Young and Hannah McKay each notched a double-double in the game, marking the 10th of the season for Young and the first for McKay. Young finished the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while McKay notched 11 and 11. Burpo finished the night just shy of her own double-double, tallying nine points and eight rebounds.
The Road to San Antonio continues Friday for Murray State when they take on the second-seeded Bruins of Belmont in the semifinals of the 2020 OVC Women's Basketball Championship. Tip-off Friday from the Ford Center is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN+, WNBS 97.9 FM and the Zeno Radio app.
