Murray State at South Dakota State preview
WBB: The Racers hit the road to play the nation's premier mid-major team
Murray State will play their second consecutive road game to open the season as they travel to South Dakota State tonight. Here’s what you need to know:
Murray State (1-0 overall) at South Dakota State (2-0 overall) — 7:00pm CST at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings, South Dakota
Bart Torvik national rankings: Murray State #74; South Dakota State #55
Series history: First meeting
You can watch the game on ESPN+
Jeremy Rose will have the radio call on WNBS 97.9 FM and GoRacers.com, with the pregame showing starting at 6:30pm
Murray State Scouting Report
After their buzzer-beating win at Southern Indiana on Friday, the Racers will make their first-ever trip to South Dakota tonight to play the Jackrabbits.
Against USI, the Racers had five players score in double-figures, led by Halli Poock’s 22 points. Poock and fellow junior guard Haven Ford combined to go 19-for-19 from the free throw line in the win.
In her Murray State debut, Sharnecce Currie-Jelks scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. The only other Racers to do that in the last six seasons were named Katelyn Young and Ava Learn.
The Racers will try to get their three-point shooting going today against the Jackrabbits. Against USI, Murray State went just 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. The five made three-pointers were tied for the fewest made in a game last year, while Racers never shot fewer than 21 threes in any game last season. South Dakota State is holding opponents to 26.9% from deep so far this year.
South Dakota State Scouting Report
The Jackrabbits come into the game unbeaten after winning at Creighton, 78-62, and dispatching Rice at home, 79-65.
South Dakota State is unquestionably the premier mid-major program in the country. The Jackrabbits have been to the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the 17 years, winning games five times, which includes a trip to the 2019 Sweet 16. Last season, SDSU finished 30-4 and ranked #23 in the final Associated Press poll.
The Jackrabbits are led by senior Brooklyn Meyer. The 6’2 forward is averaging 27.5 points, while shooting 59.0% from the floor, and grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game this season.
“She’s just an amazing player,” Turner said. “She can score inside-out. She does a lot of her damage around the rim, but we’ve seen when you send doubles at her, she’s an outstanding passer, and they’ve got four shooters wrapped around her. I think that’s the benefit of her playing with great players around her, because there can’t be a lot of help, because you’re going to give up something if you rotate off other kids. She’s been their go-to for the last several years, and she will present a unique challenge for us. There’s a lot of players on that team that you can’t leave open, and I think that that’s the signature piece for them — everybody on their team is dangerous, and they play really, really well together.”
South Dakota State added Maggie Hartwig to their roster in the offseason. The Racers saw Hartwig twice last season when she played at Evansville and averaged 16.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. This season, her scoring has dipped to 6.0, but she’s grabbing 13.0 boards per contest.
I’ll have a ‘Ride Home’ podcast posted later tonight.