Women’s basketball’s fall continues
February 8, 2023
Redshirt senior guard Macey Turley and redshirt senior forward Alexis Burpo both hit historic marks over the weekend.
Turley passed her 500th assist on Sunday, making her just the third Racer in program history to hit the mark. Burpo recorded her 800th rebound on the same day. She is the eighth Racer to do so in program history.
Both players entered the program in the 2018-19 season, playing meaningful minutes. Since then, they have played key roles on the Murray State women’s basketball team.
Despite there being plenty to celebrate over the weekend, Murray State’s struggles against MVC opponents continued, as the Racers lost a pair of road games.
The Racers now have a conference record of 4-6 and an overall record of 11-8. Murray State is on a four-game losing streak after losing to both the Evansville Aces and Indiana State Sycamores, However, there is still time to get back on track.
The Racers have a chance to split the season series with both teams this month: Indiana State at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 and Evansville at 2 p.m. on Feb. 12.
vs. Evansville
The Racers lost 75-67 in their matchup against the Evansville Aces. The game was highly contested throughout its duration, and the next meeting between the two teams will be one to watch.
The Racers trailed throughout most of the game, yet their offense kept them in the mix of things. This offensive production came despite Murray State’s leading scorer, junior forward Katelyn Young, shooting just 6-20 from the field.
Evansville’s senior guard Abby Feit put on a clinic against the Racers, scoring 26 points. She had seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in the matchup. Feit’s effort was a driving force in her team’s win as she continued her impressive season.
Junior forward Hannah McKay led the Racers in scoring, finishing with 22 points. She had seven rebounds and an assist. Young had 18 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Turley ended up with 4 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Redshirt senior Jordyn Hughes had 13 points and three rebounds off the bench.
Both teams shot 60 field goals in the matchup. Evansville made 26-60 (43.3%), while Murray State made 23-60 (38.3%). Neither team wereable to shoot the ball efficiently, but both defenses allowed many shots.
The Racers will host the Aces at 2 p.m. on Feb. 12.
v.s. Indiana State
Young flipped the switch in the Racers’ next game with 30 points in her team’s loss to the Indiana State Sycamores. The Racers lost their matchup against the Sycamores 62-56. The two teams will meet again in Murray at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10.
The Racers turned the ball over 20 times during the game, leading to 25 points off turnovers for the Sycamores. Indiana State’s senior guard Del’Janae Williams led the Sycamores in scoring, finishing with 24.
Young finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. McKay recorded 8 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Turley ended up with 5 points, six assists and two rebounds. Freshman guard Briley Pena had 5 points, six rebounds and an assist. Burpo finished with 3 points, five rebounds and an assist.
Upcoming
Murray State’s next game will come on the road against the Belmont Bruins. The Bruins have an overall record of 11-10 but a conference record of 7-3.
As the Racers can testify, the MVC is no slouch. This makes the Bruins’ 7-3 record against conference opponents all the more impressive. Belmont is tied for the third best conference record in the MVC.
The Bruins are currently the fifth seed, and the Racers are the sixth seed in the standings. The Racers have a record of 4-6 against MVC opponents, as do four other teams in the conference. All 12 MVC teams will have a shot at the conference title, but nobody wants to enter as a bottom seed. This makes every upcoming game important to all MVC programs.
The Racers travel to Nashville, Tennessee to play against the Bruins at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2.