Josh Embry
Sports Editor
Murray State women’s basketball (14-15) goes into the OVC Tournament as the No. 8 seed, looking to upset No. 1 UT Martin in the opening round this week.
Murray State
The Racers’ last game of the regular season ended with an 88-59 defeat at the hands of Austin Peay on Saturday, Feb. 29, at the CFSB Center. On Thursday, Feb. 27, a game-winning layup in the last 20 seconds by sophomore forward Alexis Burpo propelled the Racers to a 66-65 win over EKU that punched their ticket to the OVC Tournament.
Head Coach Rechelle Turner said the team rallied together to come away with the win.
“They came together and you could just tell that they knew that was going to be the determining-factor game maybe for us to get to the tournament, and it was something they wanted to go ahead and finish strong,” Turner said.
Although Murray State was able to pull out a win on Thursday night, it came at a cost, as freshman forward Macie Gibson, who has averaged 11 ppg and 6.7 rpg in her last 10 games, suffered a knee injury and has not played since.
Along with Gibson, sophomore guard Macey Turley has sat out with a knee injury since Feb. 22. Coupled with sophomore guard Sadie Hill and freshman guard Jentri Worley’s injuries earlier in the season, the Racers were down to just eight active players in the game against Austin Peay.
Turner said both Gibson and Turley are out for the remainder of the season.
“We feel like that it is best for [their careers] and the program going forward for them to no longer play this year,” Turner said.
Despite Murray State overcoming many odds to make the OVC Tournament, Turner knows the coaching staff and players alike are not satisfied with just making the tournament, but she said it will benefit the team in the future and the culture they are trying to instill.
“Now in no way, shape or form is that good enough for me [or the team],” Turner said. “Our expectations of building this program are way higher than getting to the tournament. We want to win championships but I feel like we took a step forward in that this year, especially with the culture and with the ability to know that when our backs are against the wall, we have got kids that are going to claw and compete.”
Despite all the setbacks the team has faced this season, there have been bright spots, especially in regards to player improvement. According to Turner, no two players have improved more than Burpo and junior forward Laci Hawthorne.
“[Hawthorne and Burpo] have really come a long way and the thing that I am most impressed with is how they have done it,” Turner said. “It may be sometimes easier to improve when you are in your natural position and you are playing [an] actual role but to be able to show the improvement that they have shown with the increased necessity to do things that they are maybe not comfortable with I think has been the biggest thing for them.”
Another pleasant surprise recently has been the productive play of junior guard G’Torria Swinton. She grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against EKU and had a near double-double against Austin Peay with 11 points and nine rebounds. Her play will be crucial for the Racers going into this week.
“[Swinton] is a kid that did not get a lot of playing time before the injuries but continued to work hard,” Turner said. “She is always on our scout team. She is always doing whatever we ask her to do so it is good to see a kid like that that is really brought into your program and the ‘we over me’ [mentality] get an opportunity showcase themself here.”
Going into the game as the lowest seed in the tournament, the Racers know they are not favorites to take down UT Martin. No matter the outcome, Turner is still proud of the team and what they have been able to accomplish this season despite the setbacks they have endured.
“I am proud of the kids and the resilience they have shown in getting us to the tournament,” Turner said. “I would love to go in fully stacked but that is not going to happen, so we know going in that we have got some limitations, but we just got to go out and do the best we can.”
UT Martin
Murray State and UT Martin will meet in Evansville, Indiana, for the two teams’ third matchup of the season. In the past two games, the Racers lost and were outscored 187-120.
The Racers first played the Skyhawks on Jan. 2, losing 89-64. Their latest matchup on Jan.16 resulted in a 98-56 loss for Murray State.
Turner said she knows UT Martin will be a tough opponent for the Racers yet again.
“UT Martin is a very good team,” Turner said. “In my opinion, [they have] the best player in the conference in Chelsey Perry and they just have an all-around good team. They have proven throughout the conference season that they can put multiple games together and continue to play at a high rate.”
In both games, junior forward Chelsey Perry (26.6 ppg and 8.2 rpg in conference play) dominated, as she finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first game and 30 points and 11 rebounds in the second game.
“[Perry] is exceptional,” Turner said. “I enjoy watching her play when we are not playing them for sure. She is just that good. She can score at all three levels and [she is] 6’2. We don’t have any one person that can guard her. I don’t think that anyone in the conference does. She is very highly skilled.”
UT Martin has been beset with injuries all season, yet they have continued to dominate the OVC. Players such as junior guard Zaire Hicks (8.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 2.4 apg last season) and sophomore guard Damiah Griffin (12 ppg and 5.5 rpg in 12 games) have seen limited action all season.
The Skyhawks’ other healthy top performers include junior forward Maddie Waldrop (15.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg in conference play), freshman forward Dasia Young (8.2 ppg in conference play), sophomore guard Kyannah Grant (8.1 ppg) and junior guard Tamiah Stanford (7.8 ppg in conference play).
UT Martin is in the top five of many of the OVC team statistical categories, but where they shine the most is in field-goal percentage (43.9%) and in assists (15.1 apg). They are also the second best scoring offense in the conference (71.3 ppg), whereas Murray State is second-to-last in stopping opposing offenses (73.8 ppg).
Despite all the odds the Racers have against them going into the game, Turner said instead of focusing so much on UT Martin, they should focus more so on themselves.
“We played them twice already so we kind of know what they do but we can’t really focus too much on them,” Turner said. “We have got to focus on ourselves and I feel like if we play the type of basketball that I know we can play, I think we will be there right with them.”
When and Where
The Racers will take on UT Martin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, in Evansville, Indiana, at the Ford Center.
