A 31-point double-double from junior forward Katelyn Young led the Murray State Racers to a win on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

The Racers were 3-7 against their former OVC rival, the UT Martin Skyhawks, in their last 10 meetings, but they were able to coast to a 71-52 win on Wednesday. 

The Racers were down 5-2 before going on a 7-point run to gain the lead as Young began to give Murray State some momentum with a made jumper in the paint. Redshirt senior guard Macey Turley continued the run with a 3-pointer. 

Young finished the run by knocking down a pair of free throws, giving the Racers a 9-5 lead. The Skyhawks were able to stop the run, scoring on a jumper, but Murray State continued to leave its foot on the gas. 

Junior forward Hannah McKay scored on a pair of layups; sophomore guard Cayson Conner made a layup and redshirt senior Jordyn Hughes knocked down a 3-pointer. The Skyhawks began to pick up the pace on the offensive side and trailed the Racers 18-13 at the end of the first quarter.

UT Martin cut Murray State’s lead to 3 at the beginning of the second quarter after making a jumper, but Young took a trip to the free throw line on the following possession and made both. The Skyhawks responded, draining a 3-pointer. 

The Racers began to find their shot a few possessions later, as junior guard Bria Sanders-Woods knocked down a 3-pointer. Turley then got a hot hand, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. The trio of shots from behind the arc put the Racers ahead 33-20 with a little over three minutes remaining in the first half. 

Hughes and Freshman guard Briley Pena continued the downpour of 3-pointers as they each nailed one from behind the arc. The Racers went into halftime with a 41-28 lead.

Sophomore forward Jaidah Black started the second half by making a pair of free throws for the Racers. Young made a layup, and Sanders-Woods went one of her two on attempts from the free throw line. Young then drained a 3-pointer, and the Racers concluded their 8-point run with a 49-28 lead.

UT Martin responded by going on a run of its own, narrowing the score, but the Racers led at the end of the third quarter 54-41.

Both teams’ offenses stepped onto the floor ready to begin the fourth quarter. Sanders-Woods made a layup before the Skyhawks converted on a 3-point play on the following possession. Turley then made a jumper, but UT Martin made a layup in response. 

The Racers went on another run after Young made a layup. McKay knocked down a pair of free throws, and Young converted on an and-one to conclude the 7-point run.

After a rather high-scoring affair, neither team found much success offensively in the final four minutes, and Murray State got the 71-52 win over UT Martin.

The Racers shot 50% from the field in the win, 63% from behind the arc and 93% from the free throw line. Murray State had 8 points off of turnovers, 10 fastbreak points and 19 points from bench players. 

Murray State out rebounded the Skyhawks 42-22 in the win, gathering 33 rebounds on the defensive side and 9 rebounds on the offensive side of the court. 

Young led her team in scoring, finishing with 31 points. She had 12 rebounds and four assists, going 8-8 from the free throw line. Turley had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. McKay totaled 8 points, two rebounds and four assists, as Sanders-Woods ended up with 6 points, six rebounds and four assists. 

The Racers improved to 4-1 on the season and will host the 3-2 University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 in the CFSB Center.

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