Story by Gage Johnson
Senior Writer
A year removed from the Murray State women’s basketball team’s blowout loss at home against Butler University, the Racers were handed the same result as they were defeated by the Bulldogs 86-65 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Murray State showed signs of promise on Tuesday, Nov. 13, and made the game seem as though it would be a non-conference battle to the end in the opening quarter of play. At the end of the first, the Racers trailed the Bulldogs by a score of 24-19.
It remained neck-and-neck throughout the first half of the second quarter, but 15 turnovers allowed Butler to go on a 17-6 run to gain a double-digit lead. This run gave Butler a 49-33 lead going into the locker room at the half.
The Bulldogs continued to run with momentum into the third quarter, and expand their lead by outscoring the Racers 23-15. Murray State outscored Butler in the final quarter of play, but being outscored 48-29 in the second and third quarter of play was ultimately the Racers downfall.
When Murray State’s football team has lost this season, Head Coach Mitch Stewart tends to use the phrase, ‘Murray State beat Murray State’. On Tuesday, Head Coach Rechelle Turner concurred with that same sentiment.
“We just had too many mental lapses where we let them go on 11-0 and 7-0 runs,” Turner said. “A lot of it was our own doing. Twenty-three turnovers is way too many and eleven of them I think were on our own.”
Despite the turnovers, Murray State played well offensively, shooting 45.5 percent from the field. The biggest output of scoring came from freshman guard Lex Mayes, who sprayed Butler’s defense for five threes on six attempts, ending the game with 15 points.
“I think if anyone hits their first few shots then it just seems so much easier,” Mayes said. “My teammates were able to get me the ball when I was open, and I was just knocking down those shots.”
Following its first loss of the season, Murray State will return home for its next game against Lipscomb University at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the CFSB Center.
