Josh Embry
Contributing Writer
After earning their first win since Saturday, Jan. 4, Murray State women’s basketball will look to continue its winning streak this week when it takes on Eastern Illinois and SIUE.
Murray State
The Racers lost 86-56 at the hands of Belmont on Thursday, Jan. 23, but ended their five game losing streak on Saturday, Jan. 25, when they defeated Tennessee State 100-62 at the CFSB Center.
Murray State is coming off its first 100-point game of the season and the 28th in the program’s history. This marked the first time the team eclipsed the 100-point mark against a Division I team since 2014 and the first time against an OVC opponent since 2006.
Head Coach Rechelle Turner was pleased with the outcome on Saturday night and knows that a win like this boosts the team’s morale and confidence heading into the week.
“Saturday night was big for us [and] big for the morale of our team,” Turner said. “It was great to see our kids enjoy playing the game of basketball and realize that when we do things that we know we’re capable of doing and do them, we can put good results on the court.”
Three Racers finished with a double-double in Saturday’s contest, with both sophomore guard Macey Turley and sophomore forward Alexis Burpo dishing out 10 assists.
Turner said the team’s playmaking has been there all season but unlike the games prior, the team was able to make their shots on Saturday night.
“The sharing of the basketball was tremendous Saturday night,” Turner said. “The extra pass was there but one thing that I think gets unnoticed is those good passes and good set-ups had been there all year. We just haven’t finished the play at the end.”
Burpo has emerged as the team’s primary facilitator in the last couple of weeks, averaging 5.2 assists over the last five games.
“Right now, one of our struggles is that we do not have enough players on our team that can create for others,” Turner said. “Alexis is one of those players that can do that. She’s always been a really good passer. She sees the floor extremely well [and] she’s unselfish.”
Although the Racers are coming off a dominant win, they moved to only 9-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play. Therefore, Turner knows these last 10 games are crucial to their chances of participating in the OVC playoffs.
“We’re going into the next 10 games [with the mindset that] we gotta win them,” Turner said. “We’ve gotta figure out a way to do that. It’s not going to be easy. Nothing about this is easy. We know, going in, that we gotta step up and we’ve gotta be able to be consistent in the things that we do.”
Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois is coming to Murray with an 11-8 record, the fifth-best record in OVC play, going 5-3 thus far.
Last season, Murray State lost 75-67 in the teams’ first matchup but exacted revenge the second time around in an overtime thriller where the Racers won 60-51 at the CFSB Center.
The Panthers lost their last game 77-65 to SEMO but handed a stout UT Martin team their only loss in the OVC so far, winning 74-70 at home.
The team has balanced scoring without, with four players averaging 10 or more ppg. Junior guard Karle Pace (14.9 ppg), sophomore forward Abby Wahl (11.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg) and freshman guard Laria Washington (10 ppg and 5.4 rpg) lead the team offensively.
The Racers will have to find ways to generate points as Eastern Illinois has stifled offenses, allowing only 60.6 ppg in the OVC, second best in the conference. They are also one of the best three-point shooting teams in the conference and are fourth overall in field-goal percentage.
“Eastern Illinois is a very good basketball team,” Turner said. “They’ve already beaten Tennessee Martin this year [and] they score the basketball extremely well so it should be a difficult task for us.”
SIUE
SIUE will come into Saturday’s outing with Murray State on Saturday, Feb. 1, after traveling to Clarksville, Tennessee, to take on Austin Peay on Thursday, Jan. 30.
The Cougars enter the week with a 3-16 record and are 1-7 in OVC play. They are losers of six straight and earned their one conference win against Tennessee State on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Murray State split victories against SIUE last season, losing their first matchup 54-71 away from home. Two weeks later, the Racers managed to secure an 81-75 victory at the CFSB Center.
The Cougars have struggled all year offensively, as they average a conference low 56.8 ppg and own the worst free throw, three-point and overall field goal percentages in the OVC.
Junior guard Allie Troeckler leads the team in points and rebounds with 11.7 ppg and 7.2 rebounds. Freshman forward Mikayla Kinnard (7.4 ppg) and junior guard Christen King (6.9 ppg) round out the top scorers for SIUE.
Turner knows the Cougars have had a disappointing season so far but knows that does not mean the team should count them out come Saturday night.
“SIUE has kind of been in the same boat we have,” Turner said. “They’ve struggled a little bit but we know that everyone is hungry for victories at this point.”
When and Where
Murray State will face off against Eastern Illinois at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, and SIUE at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb.1, with both games being played at the CFSB Center.
