Story by Gage Johnson
Senior writer
Looking to avenge their 75-67 loss at Eastern Illinois earlier in the season, the Racers took the Panthers to overtime and claimed a 60-51 victory on the heels of their nearly perfect free throw shooting in the final two quarters of play.
In the first quarter, Murray State raced to a 7-0 start, holding EIU scoreless for the first seven minutes of play. A three from sophomore guard Karle Pace broke the streak leaving them trailing the Racers 12-3 with three minutes to play in the quarter.
The second quarter has been an area where the Racers have struggled on the season, averaging 14 points in the quarter per game. The Panthers were able to prove that statistic true and then some, holding Murray State to seven points in the quarter thanks to a seven-minute scoring drought to close the half. However, the Racers headed to the locker room holding on to a 24-23 lead.
Both teams continued to trade barbs in the third quarter despite shooting struggles, but a jumper from senior guard Grace Lennox to end the quarter gave EIU a 36-35 edge entering the fourth.
After a defensive rebound from junior forward Evelyn Adebayo–who finished the game with a career-high 20 rebounds–freshman guard Macey Turley was sent to the line after a Panthers foul with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter. Turley sunk both free throws, knotting the game up at 49. Follow that with a defensive stop by Murray State, and it was overtime at “the Bank.”
A combination of free-throw shooting and solid defense from the Racers led to outscoring EIU 11-2 in overtime, and sealing a 60-51 victory for Murray State.
The Racers were 15-for-17 in the final two quarters of play, and Turley was a major staple in that category, knocking down 10-for-10 in the game. Turley accredits a quote from her favorite movie, “The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend,” to her mindset at the free throw line when the team is counting on her.
“I try not to think about it too much,” Turley said. “My favorite movie is Pistol Pete and one of the lines he says is ‘fingertip control, backspin, follow through,’ so I always just say that when I’m at the line.”
Adebayo turned in another double-double with a 12 point and 20 rebound performance. Sophomore guard Janika Griffith-Wallace added 18 points, making it three straight games where she has scored more than 10 points. She has seemed to find her stride recently after struggling offensively to start the season.
“I think she finally realized what we were needing from her and what we were asking of her,” said Head Coach Rechelle Turner. “We needed her to be more aggressive offensively and she’s done that. She really picked up her effort in practice, getting in the gym and getting extra shots and extra workouts in. I think it’s finally clicked with her.”
The win now gives the Racers the eighth seed in the OVC standings, as they own the tiebreaker over Jacksonville State. They now will take on SIUE in hopes of avenging their 71-54 loss earlier this season.
Murray State will tip-off at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, against SIUE at the CFSB Center.
