Story by Gage Johnson
Staff writer
The Racers traveled to Edwardsville, Illinois to wrap up their four-game road stint, and lost at the claws of the Cougars 71-54.
Murray State was as cold as the winter storm brewing in Illinois, scoring seven points in the first quarter on 2-for-14 shooting, both scores coming from beyond the arc. This slow start gave SIUE a 14-7 lead despite shooting 5-for-18 going into the second quarter.
The Racers went back and forth with the Cougars in the second quarter, outscoring them 12-11 in the quarter. With both teams shooting below 30 percent from the field, SIUE headed to the locker room with a measly 25-19 lead.
With its shooting struggles continuing, Murray State seemed lifeless shortly into the third quarter, leading to a 13-0 start in the rebounding battle.
“We just got completely outoughed, outworked, out executed; out everything,” said Head Coach Rechelle Turner. “This was our first long road trip and we talked before the game about having to find the energy. We never did. Hats off to them. They play hard and they’re very physical and they deserved to win.”
Combine this with seven third-quarter turnovers, and the Racers found themselves attempting just eight shots. While Murray State would make five of those attempts, the Cougars went 7-for-21 to outscore the Racers 26-14 in the quarter.
Halfway through the third quarter, spectators saw a lineup that is not usually viewed so early in a game. Despite the timing of the subs, Turner deemed the changes appropriate and said she may experiment with changes in the regular rotation moving forward.
“Losing is a part of the process of rebuilding something and I understand that, but the thing that I’m most disappointed in was the effort,” Turner said. “I think that’s pretty evident in who played in the last part of the third quarter. I thought those kids came in and they worked hard for us.”
While the players’ lackluster performance majorly contributed to the loss, Turner said the loss is ultimately on her.
“I’ll take all the blame,” Turner said. “If they’re not ready to play that’s on me, so I’ve got to do a better job at getting them ready to play or playing the kids that are ready to play. So we may do some funneling around of the lineup until we find the kids that do want to compete and give us their best effort. At least to try to be in the game to give ourselves a chance.”
The Racers would improve their shooting in the fourth quarter, but their lack of depth and ability to keep possession was too much to overcome. Thirty-five bench points and 20 points off of 15 turnovers helped SIUE walk away with a 71-54 win.
The loss puts Murray State at 1-3 to wrap up their four-game road stint, making them 6-11 overall and 2-4 in OVC play.
Following the loss, the Racers will head back home for two games, with the first against the 12-5 (5-1) defending OVC Champion Belmont Bruins. The game will tip-off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24, at the CFSB Center.
