Jakob Milani
Staff Writer
Murray State ran away with the win on Monday when the Racers faced off against the University of North Alabama Lions.
The Racers won by a score of 94-80. This was Murray State’s fourth straight game with 80 points or more.
The first quarter started slow for the Racers, as they shot 5-12 in the first four minutes which allowed the Lions to make seven of their first nine shots. The Racers were, however, already seeing help from the bench, with 10 of their points in the quarter coming from the bench unit.
The Lions turned the ball over five times in the quarter and grabbed eight rebounds. This helped keep a close game after the first, with the score being 19-18 in favor of North Alabama.
Neither team got it going early on, with Murray State finally striking first, two minutes and six second into the quarter. The Racers ended the half out rebounding North Alabama 17-13.
The Lions were able to score inside quite easily, scoring eight of their 14 in the quarter from layups. However, Murray State was able to slow them down at the end of the quarter, as the Racers went on a 8-0 run in the final two minutes 25 seconds of the quarter. The half ended with Murray State up 40-33.
At half, the Racers had three players leading the way. Junior guard Manna Mensah had 12 points on 5-8 shooting and was 2-2 from the free throw line. Freshman forward Hannah McKay had nine points on 3-4 shooting and was 3-4 from the free throw line. She also had five rebounds, leading the team. Junior guard and forward Alexis Burpo had 11 points, shooting 4-5 from the field, 1-2 from three-point-range and 2-2 from the free throw line.
Murray State continued its run in the third quarter, not letting North Alabama score for the first 58 seconds. Though their offense was looking better, the Racers went 12-18 from the field in the quarter, slowly pulling away from the Lions.
The Lions still had an easy time scoring inside, though at one point making five layups in a row and making seven total in the quarter. However, turnovers cost them crucial possessions and allowed Murray State to pull away. The Racers finished the quarter on top by a score of 69-55.
The fourth quarter was controlled by Murray State. The Racers scored 25 total points and didn’t allow North Alabama to score till 8 Minutes five seconds left in the quarter. North Alabama also scored 25 points but wasn’t able to make a run on the Racers. Murray State walked away victorious by a score of 94-80. This is the Racers’ fourth straight game with 80 points or more.
Murray State finished with four players in double digits. Freshman forward Katelyn Young, who had only two points at half, finished the game with 22 points. She shot 8-13 from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line. She also grabbed seven rebounds in the game. This was Young’s third game in a row with 20 points or more.
Mensah finished the game with 16 points, shooting 6-11 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. She added three rebounds and two assists as well.
McKay had 15 points, shooting 6-10 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line. She also finished with seven rebounds.
Burpo finished the game with 15 points on 5-6 shooting, 1-2 from three-point-range and 4-4 from the free throw line. She also had three rebounds and five assists.
Murray State improves its record to 3-2 after winning their second straight game. The Racers’ next game will be in the CFSB Center against Austin Peay State University on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m.
