Eighty-six points wins a lot of basketball games but unfortunately for Murray State’s women’s basketball team, it wasn’t enough.
The Racers hosted the Drake Bulldogs in their first home game since Jan. 26 and couldn’t slow the Bulldogs down as they lost 92-86 despite having four players score 15 or more points. This marked the second time this season that Murray State scored 85 or more points in a game. The Racers scored 85 points on Feb. 1 against Belmont and lost 96-89.
Senior forward Ava Learn led the charge for the Racers in the first half, scoring 15 points on 71% shooting from the field. However, Drake was hitting a lot of shots in the first half, shooting 51% from the field as a team and 50% from behind the three-point line. Sophomore guard Shannon Fornshell and senior forward Anna Miller led the Bulldogs with seven points each in the half.
Both teams continued to make shots in the second half. Six straight possessions ended in baskets between both teams, with the Drake lead sitting at nine with 5:42 left in the game. With 2:04 remaining and the Bulldog lead still at nine, the Racers went on a 6-0 run to cut Drake’s lead to three. Drake answered with a 4-0 run of their own to close the game out.
Graduate forward Katelyn Young led the Racers with a 27 point and 12 rebound double-double. Learn finished the game with a new career-high of 22 points, along with seven rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore guard Halli Poock scored 19 points, 15 of those came from the three-point line. Sophomore guard Haven Ford also finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Ford thought Drake did a better job getting senior guard Katie Dinnebier open compared to the first game between the two teams.
“More so just cutting a lot more,” Ford said. “Coming off of pindowns instead of popping out to the three (point line). When her team needs her to take over, she’s going to take over.”
Head Coach Rechelle Turner wasn’t disappointed in how her team finished the game, but rather in how they started.
“It’s our starts,” Turner said. “They’ve been really, really bad. In the last three games, we’ve spotted anywhere from a seven point lead to a nine point lead. You cannot give good teams that big of an advantage because it’s difficult to come back from.”
Murray State has a quick turn around as they host the University of Northern Iowa Panthers at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. The Racers beat the Panthers in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 16 by a score of 95-89.
