Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
31-3,19-1MVC
Evansville
10-25,5-15MVC
Murray State Secures Back to Back MVC Titles
3/15/2026 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Murray State women's basketball secured their second straight MVC title on Sunday
Top-seeded Murray State clinched its second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference tournament title and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament with a commanding 91-70 victory over Evansville on Sunday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
Halli Poock delivered a masterpiece for the Racers (31-3), scoring a game-high 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including six three pointers. Poock set the tone early, scoring 13 first quarter points and helping Murray State build a lead that grew to 11 points by the end of the first frame.
The Racers' offense was nearly unstoppable, shooting 51.5 percent from the field and a blistering 48.1 percent from three-point range. Haven Ford added 18 points, while Sharnecce Currie-Jelks dominated the glass with a massive 16-rebound effort to go along with 12 points and seven assists.
Murray State broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring Evansville 25-17 to take a 46-27 lead into halftime. The lead swelled to as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter following a Poock triple.
Poock was named the MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player while fellow Racers Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Keslyn Secrist, and Haven Ford were also named to the all-tournament team. Ford earned the Elite 18 award, given to the student-athlete with the highest cumlative GPA in the championship.
The Racers now await their NCAA Tournament matchup which will be revealed on Sunday night during the Selection Show on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
