Murray State has come to quickly realize the MVC is a different atmosphere, as four of the Racers’ six losses this season were against conference opponents.

The Racers are in sixth place in the conference and will have plenty of opportunities to improve to a better seed. Three time MVC Player of the Week, junior forward Katelyn Young, has been a very large reason as to why the Racers are where they are this season.

Winning MVC Player of the Week three times in a career is an accolade worth noting and shows her perseverance. Young averages 20.9 points and 7.9 rebounds and leads her team in assists this season. Even more impressive, Young is doing this in Murray State’s inaugural season in the MVC, so she hasn’t faced many of these teams before this season. 

 Young’s 39 total points in the two games played over the weekend against SIU and Missouri State were not enough, though, as the Racers dropped the pair of conference games and fell to 11-6 on the season. The Racers are now 4-4 against conference opponents.

The Racers hosted the SIU Salukis on Friday, Jan. 20. The Salukis picked up a conference road win after beating the Racers 81-73. SIU graduate guard Ashley Jones led the way for her team putting up 20 points, six assists, two steals and two assists. 

The Salukis outscored the Racers in the paint 38-24. Murray State shot 43.9% from the field and 36.4% from behind the arc, compared to SIU’s 50.8% from the field and 56.3% on 3-pointers.

Young led the Racers in scoring, finishing the matchup with 26 points. She also had 15 rebounds and a steal. Junior forward Hannah McKay put up 16 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Redshirt senior Macey Turley had 14 points and two assists, while junior guard Bria Sanders-Woods finished with 10 points, four assists and a rebound. 

This was the first meeting between the two teams this season. Their next matchup will be on Feb. 19 in Carbondale, Illinois. Tip-off time is TBA. 

The Racers then hosted the Missouri State Bears on Sunday, Jan. 22. Murray State struggled in the matchup, especially inside the paint. The team scored 26 of its 61 points from inside of the paint. The Racers lost the game 77-61.

The Racers shot 39.6% from the field in the loss, compared to the Bears’ 54%. It got worse from behind the arc, as Murray State shot 27.8% on 3-pointers, compared to Missouri State’s 36.4%. 

Young led her team in scoring, finishing with 13 points. She had five rebounds, a block and an assist. McKay finished with 9 points, five rebounds and an assist. Turley had 9 points, two steals and an assist. Redshirt senior forward Alexis Burpo had 10 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Cayson Conner totaled 7 points, two rebounds and an assist. Both Burpo and Conner came off the bench. 

This was the first matchup between Murray State and Missouri State this season. The Racers will have a chance to even the series at 6 p.m. on Feb. 17 when they travel to Springfield, Missouri. 

The Racers will now look ahead as they embark on a four-game road trip. The first game on the road trip will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27 against the Evansville Aces. The Aces are 8-8 on the season and 3-5 against conference opponents. Evansville is led by senior forward Abby Feit. Feit leads her team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game. She also leads her team in rebounding, averaging 8.1 rebounds per game.

Murray State will then travel to Terre Haute, Indiana to take on the Indiana State Sycamores at noon on Sunday, Jan. 29. Indiana State is 8-9 on the season and 3-5 against conference opponents. Senior guard Del’Janae Williams leads the Sycamores in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game. 

The Racers’ next game will be in Nashville, Tennessee as they will travel to play Belmont University at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2. The Bruins are 9-10 overall and 5-3 against MVC opponents. They currently sit one seed ahead of Murray State, thanks to their better conference record. Junior guard Destinee Wells is averaging 16.4 points per game for the Bruins. She also averages 4.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.

The final game of the road trip will come at 2 p.m. on Feb. 5 when Murray State travels to play Illinois State in Normal, Illinois. The Redbirds currently sit at the top of the conference standings with a 13-5 overall record and a 7-1 record against conference foes. The Redbirds’ leading scorer is graduate guard Paige Robinson, who averages 18.6 points per game. She also averages 4.9 rebounds a game and shoots 45% from the field. 

Finally, the Racers will play a game in the CFSB Center again at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 when they host the Indiana State Sycamores.

[email protected]