The long wait for the Murray State women’s basketball season is behind us with the 2022-23 season underway, as the Racers will go against new faces in an unfamiliar conference. 

With multiple All-OVC award winners returning and a head coach whose record has steadily increased, the expectations were high for the Racers going into this season.

The Racers hosted the Christian Brothers University Buccaneers on Thursday, Nov. 10. Despite trailing at the end of the first quarter, Murray State was able to pull ahead and ultimately win the matchup 97-54.

Women’s basketball Head Coach Rechelle Turner spoke at the postgame press conference, recognizing that her team’s offense doesn’t have to get going right away. 

“We never really let them get away from us in any way,” Turner said. “We were just steady. I’ve learned to be a little more patient and not expecting us to go out and get a big lead just as quickly as I’d like us to. I think me staying confident and poised puts confidence in our players that it’s going to turn around. Just stay the course, continue playing with pace, do what you’re supposed to do and things are going to turn around.”

The Buccaneers scored first on a jumper by sophomore forward Jeremia Montgomery after the Racers were unable to score on the opening possession. Racers junior forward Katelyn Young responded by driving down to the basket for a layup. 

A few possessions later, senior guard Yaya Coleman scored on a layup for the Buccaneers. Coleman was fouled on her way up, and she headed over to the foul line, converting on the 3-point play. Young was fouled on her shot attempt on the next possession and drained both of her free throws.

Redshirt senior forward Alexis Burpo made a layup in the paint on the Racers’ next offensive trip to give them a 6-5 lead.

The Buccaneers were able to get out to an 18-15 lead toward the end of the first quarter. Burpo and Young both went 2/2 on free throw attempts in consecutive possessions to give the Racers a brief 19-18 lead. But the Buccaneers were able to score once more to get ahead before the first quarter was over. The score was 20-19 in favor of Christian Brothers as the second quarter began.

The Racers were able to regain the lead early on in the second quarter after a jumper by junior forward Hannah McKay and a 3-pointer made by redshirt senior guard Macey Turley put the Racers up 24-20.

Coleman was able to break up Murray State’s run, but redshirt senior guard Jordyn Hughes made a jumper after a pass by McKay to restart the Racers’ momentum. Coleman missed on the Buccaneers’ next possession, and Young brought in the rebound.

Young then went down the floor and made her way back to the free throw line after being fouled on an attempted shot. Young made both free throws, and the Racers had a 28-22 lead. The run continued when Turley scored on a jumper and Young converted on a pair of layup attempts. 

The run ended with McKay hitting one of her two free throw attempts, making the score 35-22 in favor of Murray State. The Racers had a 14-point lead going into halftime 44-30.

Murray State gained an 18-point lead before unleashing a flurry of points in the third quarter. The Racers had a 49-31 lead before Burpo started the run with a layup in the paint. Turley then drained a 3-pointer after a dish by Young.

Sophomore forward Jaidah Black scored in the paint, thanks to an assist by freshman guard Briley Pena and junior forward Fruzsina Horvath. That was followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession. Horvath and Black both scored in the paint in consecutive possessions, ending the Racers’ run as they had jumped ahead 67-33.

The score was 72-38 going into the fourth quarter, and the Racers continued to apply the pressure. Murray State scored 25 more points in the fourth quarter and coasted to a 97-54 win.

Young finished with a team-high 23 points in the matchup; she had six rebounds and four assists. She shot 10/10 from the free throw line in the win. Turley had 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals. Burpo totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and an assist. 

Hughes had 9 points, five rebounds and an assist, while McKay finished with 8 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Horvath had 10 points, four rebounds and an assist.

Murray State scored 24 second-chance points and 11 points off of turnovers. The Racers outrebounded the Buccaneers 50-21 and forced them to turn the ball over 10 times to the Buccaneers’ five. As a team, the Racers shot 50.8% from the field, 36% from behind the arc and 88% from the free throw line. 

Although it took a quarter to get rolling, the Racers’ offense was dominant. Turner was pleased with how her team flipped the offensive switch in the second half. 

“I thought the way we came out in the second half and the start of the third quarter is what our identity needs to be,” Turner said. “I mean, we were locked in, and we were focused. We were flying around the court defensively. We were rebounding the basketball. Offensively, we were setting great screens [and] executing.”

This sort of offensive production is exactly what the Racers need when they travel to play the Purdue Boilermakers in their upcoming game. 

“A game like Purdue is a game we need to play,” Turner said. “We need to prove ourselves as a program that can go into Power Five schools and hold our own.”

The Racers will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on Purdue University at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13.

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