Story by Gage Johnson
Senior Writer
The Murray State women’s basketball team hit the hardwood for its first action of the season in an exhibition game against Lindsey Wilson College. Here are five takeaways from the Racers 72-51 victory over the Blue Raiders heading into their first regular season game.
Nerves:
The Racers boast a nearly brand new roster this season with nine new players on campus. To start the game Murray State struggled to get things going on the offensive end, and it seemed as though the nerves for some of the newcomers for the Racers got the best of them. Turner agreed, and even admitted to having some nerves herself.
“You have two players that started the game that have never been in this situation before, so there were some nerves,” Turner said. “I had some nerves for them, because I knew it was going to be difficult for them to start.”
Offensive playstyle:
Turner stressed the likelihood of her team getting up and down the floor leading up to the game. That was well on display Thursday night with multiple guard lineups leading the fast break, where the Racers were able to earn 21 of their points on the night.
“There’s about four to five girls that can bring the ball up the court, which is really good,” said sophomore guard Janika Griffith-Wallace.
“She wants us to play really fast,” said junior forward Evelyn Adebayo. “She likes when we push the ball and the tempo because then we don’t have to run a play and we can just get so many options.”
Adebayo even had her own role in starting fast break opportunities, bringing up the ball after boards on multiple occasion. This sort of freedom in starting the offense is something Turner said we can expect to continue, as it opens up countless facets to the Racers offense.
“We’re going to play fast,” Turner said. “When you have two point guards on the floor at all times you have to take advantage of that. In most lineups we have we’re going to have four people that can push the ball in transition. I think that’s when you put people on their heels and you make them have to make plays. That’s the kind of basketball we want to play.”
Leaders emerge in Adebayo and Griffith-Wallace:
Coming into the season, on numerous occasions Turner praised the leaps and bounds Adebayo has made in her game during her year on the sidelines after transferring from Gardner-Webb University. Turner even went as far as saying she is an All-OVC talent. Fans finally got to see why on Thursday, Nov. 1. In Adebayo’s first career game as a Racer, she was a focal point in the offense, leading all scorers with 21 points on 7-10 shooting to go with six rebounds.
“It felt good,” Adebayo said. “It was hard last year just practicing and not getting to play, so it feels good that my time finally came and I could show how much I’ve improved.”
Griffith-Wallace was also a huge factor on the offensive end, notching a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds on 5-13 shooting. Turner noted Griffith-Wallace is a special talent and that she will be a primetime player for Racers this season.
“The kid can do some things that you don’t see kids doing very often,” Turner said. “Her ability to stop and go and change speeds and make defenses fall over is unbelievable. If she ever figures it out she’s going to be a force to be reckoned with, because she can do so many things. Before this year is over she is going to be a kid that everyone will know.”
Outlaw could be the new Bria Bethea:
Last season, former Murray State forward Bria Bethea was a spark off the bench on the offensive end for the Racers, as Bethea was the sixth-best scorer in the OVC by averaging 15.6 PPG. An early candidate for her replacement could be junior guard DeAsia Outlaw. Outlaw had seven points in a matter of a minute upon entering the game, and her aggressiveness allowed her to end the game with 13 points on 6-9 shooting.
“I wanted to see how DeAsia would respond to coming off the bench,” Turner said. “Because at this level you need a kid that can come off the bench and be a spark offensively and defensively. It’s maybe the first game in her life she hasn’t started, and she handled it like a champ and was ready to go. I’m really proud of her for being mentally tough.”
Defense still needs work:
Turner prides herself on equipping her team’s defensively. Turner thought they did fairly well tonight, but knows the team is far from perfect and will continue to work them as the season goes on.
“Well defensively we’re still a little bit too deep in our gaps and we gave up too many open looks,” Turner said. “Every single day we’re going to continue to work on our defense. If we were perfect defensively right now I’d be worried. We are a work in progress and we just have to continue to get better. I thought at times our communication defensively was good and if we can buy into that and do that consistently we’re going to be better defensively.”
Murray State will officially start the regular season against the University of Evansville at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the CFSB Center.
