Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
SIUE
Players Mentioned
Racers Begin OVC Title Quest Thursday
3/2/2022 10:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Third-seeded Racers take on No. 7 SIUE
ATTENTION FANS: Please take note of the Ford Center's bag policy. Only CLEAR BAGS and CLUTCHES will be allowed. View the entire police HERE.
Date (Time): Mar. 3 (3:30 p.m.)
Opponent: SIUE
Site (Venue): Evansville, Ind. (Ford Center)
Audio: WNBS 97.9 FM (PxP: Jeremy Rose)
TV: ESPN+ (PxP: Connor Onion, Analyst: Helen Williams)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersWBB
MUR Record (Streak): 21-8 (Won 1)
SIUE Record (Streak): 13-17 (Won 3)
MUR Last Game: W 86-54 at Southeast Missouri (Feb. 26, 2022; Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
SIUE Last Game: W 86-84 vs. UT Martin (Mar. 2, 2022; Evansville, Ind.)
All-Time Series vs. SIUE (Streak): Series tied 13-13 (Won 3)|
All-Time Series at Neutral Sites (Streak): First Meeting (---)
First Meeting: W 83-75 (Jan. 16, 1985; Murray, Ky.)
Last Meeting: W 87-73 (Feb. 5, 2022; Murray, Ky.)
Last Five vs. SIUE: 4-1 (WWWLW)
Next Game: Mar. 4 vs. #2 Tennessee Tech (3:30 p.m.)
The Game
The third-seeded Murray State women's basketball team begins its quest for the 2022 OVC Women's Basketball Championship Thursday it takes on seventh-seeded SIUE at 3:30 p.m at the Ford Center in Evansville.
Series At A Glance
Thursday will be the 27th meeting between Murray State and SIUE with the series tied at 13 games apiece. The Racers have been on a tear in the overall series as of late, winning six of the last seven meetings including both this season. Thursday will also mark the first time the two teams have met in the OVC tournament.
Scouting The Cougars
SIUE is coming off a thrilling 86-84 win Wednesday over UT Martin, 86-84, on two Mikayla Kinnard free throws with two seconds left in the game. Gabby Niktinaite led SIUE in the game with 24 points.
Nikitinaite currently leads SIUE in scoring at 14.2 points per game, while Mikayla Kinnard follows at 11.3. Allie Troeckler leads the Cougars on the boards at 5.9 rebounds per game, to go along with 10.0 points.
SIUE currently averages 69.1 points per game on 40.2-percent shooting with 35.7 rebounds per game, Meanwhile, the Cougars' opponents are averaging 74.3 points per game on 46.7-percent shooting with 36.4 rebounds per game.A Win Would...
A win Thursday would give Murray State its second trip to the OVC semifinals in as many seasons. Last year, the sixth-seeded Racers upset third-seeded Southeast Missouri. This season, it will be the Racers who are the third seed in the tournament.
Being The Elite
Macey Turley accomplished one of the rarest feats in program history Tuesday when she became just the third Racer in program history to earn All-OVC honors in each of her four years in blue and gold. She joins Sheila Smith and Michelle Wenning as the only three Racers to do so.
Squad Goals
On Tuesday, the Racers placed a program-high four players on the two postseason All-OVC teams. Katelyn Young and Macey Turley were named to the first team, while Alexis Burpo and Hannah McKay were named to the second team.
Queen Maker
In just five years as head coach, Rechelle Turner has now had players earn a total of 12 All-OVC selections, setting a new program record in the process. Turner's 12 picks, passes the previous record of Eddie Fields, earned from 1993 to 2003. In addition, with Katelyn Young's selection as Player of the Year, Turner now has two Players of the Year to her credit, the most of any coach in Racer history.
Simply The Best
After winning an OVC record-tying eight Player of the Week awards over the course of the season, on Tuesday, Katleyn Young took her rightful place as the 2021-22 OVC Player of the Year. Young led the league in scoring and rebounding on the year with 20.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. She is the fifth player in MSU history to earn the OVC's top seasonal honor. The only other Racers to earn the honor with Karen Hubert-Price in 1983-84, Joi Scott in 2006-07, Ashley N. Hayes in both 2007-08 and 2008-09 and Ke'Shunnan James in 2017-18.
Â
