Redshirt senior guard Macey Turley scored her 2,000th point in the Racers’ loss to the Drake University Bulldogs on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Turley is only the fourth Racer in program history to reach such a monumental milestone. She joins Sheila Smith (1985-1989), Ke’Shunan James (2014-2018) and Ashley N. Hayes (2005-2009) as a member of the 2,000 point club.

“It’s incredible,” Turley said in the postgame press conference. “Obviously, I would have rather had the win, but to be in that kind of company, only four people are in it, that’s pretty special.”

Though there is cause for celebration, the Racers won’t be throwing a party this weekend. Murray State hosted the Drake Bulldogs on Thursday and lost the matchup 97-71.

The Racers and Bulldogs went back and forth with four lead changes in the first quarter. Both teams were aggressive, but the Bulldogs’ combination of size and tempo made it difficult for Murray State to find a groove. 

Drake forced six Murray State turnovers before the first quarter was over. Turley scored 5 of the Racers’ 15 points in the first, as it ended 19-15 in favor of the Bulldogs. 

The Bulldogs didn’t allow another lead change for the rest of the game, keeping their foot on the gas in the second quarter. They outscored the Racers 24-20 in the quarter, forcing four more turnovers to bump the total to 10 before halftime. Drake led 43-35.

Murray State stayed within striking distance throughout the third quarter but were outscored 21-18. Young scored 6 in the quarter after hitting a pair of free throws, a layup and a jumper. Turley scored 5 after making a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer. The Racers were down 64-53 as both teams went into the final quarter.

The Bulldogs pulled away in the fourth quarter, going 12-14 from the field and 6-6 on 3-pointers. The flurry of points helped the Bulldogs make the game look much less contested than it really was, catapulting them to a 97-71 win. 

Head Coach Rechelle Turner spoke about Drake’s performance Thursday night.

“Credit to Drake, [they] shot the ball outstanding, beat us in every facet of the game,” Turner said. “Very good offensive team. They play the game the right way.”

Drake’s 6-foot-3-inch senior forward Maggie Bair led the Bulldogs in scoring with 28 points in the win. Bair had five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.. The Bulldogs found holes in the Racers’ defense, shooting 37-63 (58.7%) from the field and 16-28 (57.1%) from behind the arc. 

Turner spoke about her team’s defense during Thursday night’s game.

“Speeding the game up and playing fast probably played right into what they wanted to do, but we do not defend well,” Turner said. “We’re not a good defensive team. We’re just not.”

Turner then followed up, explaining the identity of her team.

“We pivoted to offense,” Turner said. “We’ve scored 80 points the last three games leading up to this game, won two out of the three, lost in double overtime scoring 83 points. So we’ve pivoted, and understand [if] you’re not a good defensive team, you gotta score.”

Young led the Racers in scoring, finishing with 19 points. She had three blocks and a rebound. Turley finished with 18 points, six assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal. Junior forward Hannah McKay totaled 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sophomore forward Jaidah Black, junior guard Bria Sanders-Woods and redshirt senior guard Jordyn Hughes each finished the game with 5 points. 

Murray State shot 26-60 (43.3%) from the field and 10-22 (45.5%) on 3-point attempts. The Racers turned the ball over a total of 15 times, allowing 16 points off turnovers. 

The Racers are 13-13 with a conference record of 6-11, and their focus now shifts to the final home game of the season. Murray State hosts the UNI Panthers at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25.

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