Story by Gage Johnson
Senior writer
The Murray State women’s basketball team came away with a 81-53 season-opening victory over the University of Evansville behind an offensive showcase from freshman guard Macey Turley.
Turley was the definition of efficiency in her first game as a Racer. The guard shot 6-7 from the field, 4-5 from beyond the arc, to go along with nine assists and six rebounds to give her an efficiency rating of 32.
Turner coached Turley for four years at Murray High before the guard joined her at Murray State. The second-year Racer skipper still has confidence that No. 5 will leave it all out on the floor.
“In 5 I trust,” Turner said. “I’ve said it all along, and it continues at this level.” She’s going to make the play and do everything she can to make her teammates better. The way she sees the floor is just uncommon. I expect her to be one of our leading scorers every night, and I know when she’s on the floor our efficiency rating is over the top.”
The Racers came flying out of the stables in the first quarter. After a 7-5 start, Murray State took off on a 15-0 run to take a 17-5 lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Racers closed out the quarter with a 19-8 lead.
Murray State would continue to attack the Aces offensively in the second quarter. After an opening layup, Adebayo would score six straight points and Turley would nail a three to take a 33-14 lead with four minutes remaining in the half. The Aces would have a small 8-3 run to close the half, but the Racers took a 36-22 lead heading into the locker room.
Following the first half, it was Turley, Adebayo and sophomore guard Janika Griffith-Wallace who continued to power Murray State’s offense. Griffith-Wallace continually displayed dazzling moves offensively in the midst of third quarter, losing defenders on numerous occasions. Griffith-Wallace ended the night with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists on 5-14 shooting.
“I thought Janika came off the bench and gave us a spark,” said Head Coach Rechelle Turner. “She’s so good offensively. There’s not many people that can keep in front of her.”
The Racers would head into the fourth quarter with a 62-42 lead and wouldn’t look back, going on to claim the 81-53 victory over the Aces.
Adebayo punished Evansville for its lack of size throughout the game. She would finish the night as the Racers’ leading scorer with a double-double, totaling 18 points and 10 rebounds on 9-20 shooting.
After starting off the season with a victory, the Racers will continue their homestand against the Mighty Oaks of Oakland University at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the CFSB Center.
