Jakob Milani
Sports Editor
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The Murray State women’s basketball team got back at the Austin Peay Governors with a 68-61 overtime victory on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
The Racers had two players set career-highs in points in the overtime victory. This was the second time Murray State went to overtime with Austin Peay in the 2021-22 season.
Sophomore forward Hannah McKay spoke about the win over the Governors. She said the team just wanted to get revenge and the Racers had to battle for it.
“It’s awesome,” McKay said. “It feels good. We just wanted to get revenge and get back at them and we did. It feels good. This is one of the toughest games I’ve played in.”
The battle began with the Governors quickly getting out to a 5-0 lead with a layup from junior guard Shay-Lee Kirby and a three-pointer from junior guard Ella Sawyer. Sophomore guard Katleyn Young made a three-pointer to counter, but Sawyer hit another three to put the Governors up 8-3.
A layup from sophomore forward Hannah McKay brought the Racers closer, but graduate guard Karle Pace extended the Governors lead to seven with a layup and a pair of free throws.
Senior forward Alexis Burpo managed to get a free throw to fall and set up a three-pointer from senior guard Lex Mayes to bring the Racers within three points of the lead. Senior guard Yamia Johnson answered with a layup to keep the Governors in control and up 14-9.
The Racers closed out the first quarter with an 11-0 run, starting with a free throw from Burpo and a layup from McKay, and then a three-pointer from Young to take the lead.
Following a free throw from Brupo and a layup from Young, McKay added the finishing touches with a layup to put the Racers up 20-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Young continued the Racers scoring into the second quarter with a layup to start. Senior guard Kasey Kidwell answered with a three-pointer for the Governors, but Young countered with a layup to keep the Racers on top.
The teams continued to battle back-and-forth until the Governors broke free with back-to-back layups from sophomore forward Kemia Ward. Then, a three-pointer from Kirby tied the game at 28 with 2:58 to go in the first half.
After trading free throws with the Governors, the Racers were able to break ahead with a layup from Young. Kirby had an answer, though, as she hit a three-pointer before time expired to give the Governors a 33-32 lead at halftime.
Young led all scorers at halftime with 18 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and 7-8 shooting from the free throw line. McKay followed with nine points on 4-7 shooting from the field, While Burpo had just two points at halftime, she led the team in rebounds with five.
The Governors came out swinging in the second half with a 7-0 run. The run started with a three-pointer from Kirby and a layup from Pace. The Racers answered with three free throws, but the Governors got those points back with a three-pointer from Pace, putting the Governors up 43-35.
Young and McKay each got a layup to fall in, but the Governors kept their lead alive with back-to-back layups from junior guard Liz Gibbs to close out the quarter. As the teams geared up for the final quarter, the Governors led the Racers 47-39.
The Racers were fighting hard to start the fourth quarter as they cut the lead to four with a layup from McKay and free throws from Burpo.
Following a pair of free throws from Pace, the Racers went on an 8-0 run with layups from McKay tying the game and a pair of layups from Young giving the Racers a 55-51 lead with 2:41 left to play.
That wasn’t enough, though, as the Governors cut into the lead with a pair of free throws, then tied the game with a three-pointer from Johnson. When regulation came to a close, the game was tied at 56, and the teams were headed to overtime for the second time this season.
The Governors took the early lead in overtime with a layup from Johnson, but four straight points from McKay swung the lead in the Racers favor. That was the momentum needed for the Racers as their lead began to grow.
Young got a layup to fall, sophomore forward Bria Sanders-Woods made a jump shot and the Racers made four free throws on their way to a 68-61 OT win over the Governors.
Young dropped a career-high 31 points in the Racers win and grabbed eight rebounds. McKay also set a career-high in points with 21 and grabbed 12 rebounds as well. Burpo finished with eight points and 11 rebounds in the game.
Young spoke about her performance late in the game and how she was able to have the game she did. She gave a lot of credit to teammates and said that everyone contributed late.
“I have to thank my teammates,” Young said. “They’re the one getting me the ball. I think everyone just started contributing. Not just me, but everyone started hitting shots and I think it helps. When everyone is able to score, it’s hard to guard us.”
Head Coach Rochelle Turner spoke postgame about the Racers OT win. She said it was about time something like this came to the team.
“We’ve had some heartbreak this year. Two of our four [conference] losses have been in overtime. We’ve blown some leads,” Turner said. “I said before the game that something good has gotta come from those heartbreaks. I thought the kids pulled from that tonight. I thought the effort in overtime was as good as I’ve seen it all year.”
The Racers improved to 19-7 overall and 11-4 in conference play. They have just three games left in the regular season with their next game coming on Saturday, Feb. 19. when they travel to take on UT Martin at 1 p.m.
