Avalanche of threes send Racers to semis
WBB: Murray State routs Bradley, 86-50, in Missouri Valley Tournament quarterfinals
Murray State blew out Bradley, 86-50, Friday afternoon in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Here’s what you need to know:
With the win, the Racers improve to 23-7 overall, one win shy of the most in a single-season in program history.
Murray State will face #4-seed Drake on Saturday afternoon in the tournament semifinals.
The Racers have earned their first trip to the tournament semifinals in their third year in the Missouri Valley.
Seven different Racers made a three-pointer, as Murray State finished 12-of-26 from the beyond the arc. This is the 18th time this season the Racers have made 10+ threes in a game.
Bradley’s 50 points were the second fewest the Racers have allowed in any game this season.
You get a three and you get a three and you get a three!
In the first 11 minutes and 39 seconds of the game, Murray State had taken six three-pointers — and had made six three-pointers. By the time sophomore guard Halli Poock hit her second triple early in the second quarter, the Racers had already opened up a 37-19 lead on Bradley that was simply too much for the Braves to overcome.
“I thought the first five minutes was some of the most perfect effort we’ve played with all year,” Murray State Head Coach Rechelle Turner said. “Just really talking, communicating, putting pressure on them, and then we were turning our turnovers into points for us, and the pace of the game was outstanding. Everything was exactly what we wanted it to be when we got to that first media (timeout). (It was) very important to get off to a good start in these games. It's human nature to be nervous, and our kids were nervous. Their coach was nervous, and I saw a lot of shaky starts yesterday. I challenged them to be different, and they stepped up to the challenge every time I asked them to this year.”
It was the 12th time this season Murray State has knocked down at least a dozen three-pointers in a game this season.
Poock dominant in leading the Racers
On February 20th, Murray State played Bradley in Peoria, and it was the first time sophomore guard, and former Bradley Brave, Halli Poock played against her former team. Three weeks ago, she seemed nervous in the early going and it took a while for her to get comfortable, as she ultimately scored 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
This afternoon, Poock announced her presence with authority on the first possession of the game.
Poock finished with 21 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, to go along with four rebounds and four assists. She said after the emotions of the game in Peoria, today was just another day at the office.
“I think just not focusing on that, honestly, (it was) just another game,” Poock said. “So I think treating it like, if we lost the game, we were going home. Knowing our team wants (to win), that was it.”
This was the seventh time this season Poock has scored at least 20 points in a game.
White’s career day paces Murray State on the boards
Part of the three-point barrage early in the game was thanks to senior guard Trinity White. The McKinney, Texas product made a pair of triples in the first quarter, as Murray State improved to 8-0 on the season when White makes at least two three-pointers in a game.
“I thought today, the difference maker was Trinity and Briley (Pena), Turner said. Along with White’s six points, Pena made a pair of triples and finished with eight points. “I've said all along, if we have our role players step up and play the way they're capable of playing, we're going to be a tough out. As good as (Young, Learn, Poock and Ford) were, I get the credit to those two kids. Just an exceptional job getting us going offensively, and they played pretty well defensively, too.”
White also had a rebounding day unlike any she’s had in her collegiate career. She grabbed ten rebounds, a career-high, to help the Racers finish with a 46-24 advantage on the glass. Murray State’s +22 rebounding margin was the highest in a game since January of 2021, and the was the sixth-highest since the 2002-03 season.
All 11 Racers that played got into the scoring column
With the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, Turner was able to play everyone that was dressed out for the game — and all of them were able to score. Freshman Grace Billington scored; freshman Ada Koelling was able to grab a steal and go coast-to-coast for a lay-in; and freshman Adriana Blazquez was able to score her third and fourth of points of the season in the 16th game she’s played in this year.
“(Blazquez) hadn't scored (today), so we ran a play for her, and it was not pretty whatsoever,” Turner chuckled. “She managed to somehow get fouled and go to the foul line and make those two free throws. Again, that's just the joy that this team has. You're going to see (the starters) be as big of cheerleaders as we've got when those kids are on the floor. They’re our scout team, they're part of our culture, they are part of our family. For them to all be able to shine a little bit in this moment was really special for us.”
With a regular season title secured, the Racers want more
This has been a season of firsts for Murray State. Their first Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship; their first trip to the conference tournament semifinals. It would be easy to think the Racers were content with what they’ve accomplished and they’d be playing with house money this weekend in Evansville.
If you think that way, the Racers would like you to know you’re dead wrong.
“If this team doesn't go the NCAA Tournament, it'll be a disappointment, just because we're built for this,” Turner said. “This team has worked extremely hard. This team has been selfless. You have four All-Conference players on one team. Today, it was a perfect example. They were doubling Kate (Young). It was making things hard. Kate doesn't try to force it. Kate finds the open deal and takes advantage of it. When Halli is not open, she's moving in and pushing it to other people. Haven (Ford), the same way. Ava (Learn), the same way. You have four kids that could be the best player on most teams, but they do not care who gets the credit.”
The Racers will face the Bulldogs on Semifinal Saturday
#1-seed Murray State and #4 seed Drake will meet Saturday afternoon for the right to play in Sunday’s championship game. The game will start at 1:30pm at the Ford Center in Evansville. Each team won on the opponents’ home floor earlier this year. Murray State won in Des Moines, 81-59, on January 18th. Drake won in Murray, 92-86, on February 13th.