Murray State
Bellarmine
Players Mentioned
Racers Wrap Non-Con Slate at Bellarmine Tuesday
12/18/2022 5:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MSU travels to Louisville for final test before Valley debut
Date (Time): Tue., Dec, 20, 2022 (6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT)
Opponent: Bellarmine
Site (Venue): Louisville, Ky. (Freedom Hall)
Audio: WNBS 97.9 FM (PxP: Jeremy Rose)
TV: ESPN+ (PxP: Jack Kizer)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersWBB
MUR Record (Streak): 6-2 (Won 1)
BELL Record (Streak): 4-8 (Lost 2)
Overall (Streak): Series tied 1-1 (Lost 1)
In Murray (Streak): ---
In Louisville (Streak): Series tied 1-1 (Lost 1)
At Neutral Sites: ---
Last 5 vs. BELL: 1-1 (LW---)
First Meeting: W 50-41(2/9/74 at BELL)
Last Meeting: L 45-57 (2/21/76 at BELL)
Biggest MSU Win: 9 Pts. (W 50-41, 2/9/74 at BELL)
Biggest MSU Loss: 8 Pts. (L 45-57, 2/21/76 at BELL)
Next Game: Dec. 30 vs. UIC
Next Home Game: Dec. 30 vs. UIC
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule Tuesday when it travels to Louisville to take on Bellarmine. Tip-off from historic Freedom Hall is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 PM CT.
Series At A Glance
Tuesday will be the third all-time meeting between the Knights and Racers and the first in over 45 years. The two teams split the previous two meetings with the Racers winning the series opener in 1974 and the Knights coming out on top in 1976, both of which were played in Louisville.
Scouting The Knights
Bellarmine enters Tuesday's matchup with the Racers at 4-8 overall after a 69-56 loss at home to Wofford Saturday afternoon.
Gracie Merkle currently leads the Knights in scoring with 12.4 points per game, while Haley Harrison follows at 11.4 points per game. Meanwhile, Merkle also leads Bellarmine's rebounding efforts at 9.8 boards per game with Cam Browning following at 8.3.
Bellarmine currently averages 58.8 points per game on 39.1-percent shooting with 40.8 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, the Knights' opponents are averaging 67.4 points per game on 38.6-percent shooting with 35.3 rebounds per game.
A Win Would...
A win Tuesday would end the Racers non-conference portion of their 2022-23 schedule at 7-2. It would be the best non-conference finish (.778) for a Murray State team since the 1987-88 season, when the Racers went 11-2 (.846).
A Massive Win
Friday night's win over Kentucky gave Murray State its first win over the Wildcats since 1973, putting a stop to a 16-game skid against Kentucky in the process. The win is also the first for the Racers over a current "Power 5" team since beating TCU in 1988. With the win, Murray State is now 17-74 all-time against current Power 5 teams.
Anatomy Of An Upset
·        Bria Sanders-Woods drove the lane for a fast break layup with 7:01 remaining in the first quarter Friday to give Murray State a 4-2 lead. It was a lead the Racers would never relinquish, as they went on to lead the contest for over 37 minutes.
·        The Racers never led by more than nine points in the game, but also never led by less than five after the 1:28 mark of the second quarter.
·        Murray State crashed the boards Friday night, out-rebounding a much taller Kentucky team, 42-35 overall and 14-11 on the offensive glass. The Racers got production on the glass up and down the lineup in the game, as all nine players who entered the contest pulled down at least one rebound. Macey Turley led the rebounding efforts with eight, while Katelyn Young and Jaidah Black added seven each.
·        Jordyn Hughes went 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3-point range to lead Murray State with a season-high 15 points. Meanwhile, Young followed with 14, while Hannah McKay and Sanders-Woods added eight and seven, respectively.
·        The Racers went 10-for-16 from the free throw line Friday, but more importantly were 6-for-8 in the final minute of the game to stave off any rally attempt by the Wildcats.
·        Murray State finished the game shooting 32.7-percent from the floor and 50.0-percent from 3-point range, while Kentucky was 33.3 percent from the field and a paltry 2-for-17 from beyond the arch, for just 11.8-percent.
