Story by Gage Johnson
Sports Editor
Sophomore guard Janika Griffith-Wallace poured in a career-high 29 points as well as nine rebounds, but her teammates couldn’t pick up the slack offensively, falling to Morehead State 80-71.
Murray State women’s basketball team looked to knock the Eagles out of their own nest, using a 6-0 run to jump out to a 20-13 lead in the first quarter. However, a layup and a three brought Morehead State within two, trailing 20-18 going into the second quarter.
The back-and-forth affair continued throughout the second quarter with the largest lead being five by Murray State. With Griffith-Wallace (12), sophomore forward Briana Crane (10) and junior forward Evelyn Adebayo (10) all in double figures, the Racers headed into the locker room with a 37-34 lead.
It was a tale of two halves for the Racers, as an offense that found success against the Eagles’ man defense struggled when it became a zone defense. While Griffith-Wallace continued to pour on the points by racking up 17 in the second half, but her supporting cast was unable to help as no other player recorded more than seven second-half points.
Morehead State took advantage of the Racers’ offensive struggles, picking up steam and shooting 54.8 percent in the second half. The Eagles had five scorers in double figures. Senior guard Miranda Crockett led the way with 21 points en route to an 80-71 victory.
After a three-turnover first half, Murray State forked the ball over 11 times, leading to 21 points off of turnovers for the Eagles. Morehead State was able to control play in the paint, outscoring the Racers 46-26. The Eagles also used 17 offensive rebounds to earn 20 second-chance points.
With Jacksonville State’s loss to Eastern Illinois, the Racers still find themselves tied for sixth place going into the season finale. Turner and her team know that the season finale is a must-win game for OVC tournament seeding.
Murray State will return to home to take on Austin Peay for senior night and a ‘Battle of the Border’ matchup at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, at the CFSB Center.
