There were three times in history the Racers managed to score more than 100 points against Mid-Continent, and Thursday was one of them.
The Racers (6-3) kept their offensive momentum alive against Mid-Continent when they seized yet another victory with a final score of 110-28, adding to a now six game winning streak.
“It was a chance for us to get better,” Head Coach Rob Cross said. “I was really pleased to see the focus, especially coming out into the second half. Normally, great teams lose their focus in the second half. Our starters came out in the first part of the second half and really set the tone.”
Freshman guard Erika Sisk ignited the first half on a 4-9 run with 12 points and five rebounds. She ended up finishing the night tied with freshman forward Kelsey Dirks with the most points at 20.The Racer offense followed suit shooting for 51.3 percent in the first half. At 56-13, it was the largest halftime lead for Murray State in the entire season.
Dirks earned her second double-double of the season, finishing her performance with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
“The best thing that (Dirks) does is she works extremely hard,” Cross said. “She does whatever she is told. As her confidence grows, the sky is the limit for her. She has a chance to be a really great player in this league. I’m not saying that to put pressure on her as a freshman, but her length, athletic ability, ability to put the ball in the basket and her work ethic will make her a really good player.”
Frazzled to keep up with an accurate shooting squad, Mid-Continent was forced to 15 turnovers and drew 10 fouls, keeping the Racers’ offense powerful with a double digit lead just 15 minutes into the game. The Racers drew their first bonus with 10:05 left in the half.
The Racers kept their sights on points behind the line, shooting 85.7 percent in free throws and digging the hole deeper for the Cougars point by point. Sisk and Burgess both drew and-one fouls in the first half, with Sisk swishing for the extra point.
The energy and successful pass play was nearly duplicated in the second half, making it almost impossible for a chance at redemption for Mid-Continent, who added another 14 turnovers to their game. Sisk was put back on the board with a jumper ten seconds in play.
Being held in a scoring draught for 12 minutes, the Cougars put their first points of the second half on the board with a layup by guard Stephanie Malone.
Back in the bonus with 92 points and 7:30 left to go, the Racers had an incentive to make the records and score 100 points to make it the 22nd consecutive 100-point game in Murray State’s history.
A layup by guard Keiona Kirby broke the 100-point margin for the Racers with five minutes still on the clock. The final score of 110-28 broke the all-time scoring record under Cross, which was previously at 103 points.
“Each person that got in the game tried to do something to help the team and keep the intensity level,” Cross said. “I was very pleased. That’s very difficult to do, and I commend them for doing that.”
The Racers will see action again at 12 p.m. on Dec. 16 in the CFSB Center against Alabama A&M.
Story by: Carly Besser, Staff writer
