Shooting woes continue as Racers fall at Illinois
WBB: Murray State made just 8-of-30 three-pointers in 84-64 loss to Illini
Murray State fell on the road, 84-64, Tuesday afternoon against Illinois. Here’s what you need to know:
With the loss, the Racers drop to 2-2 on the season
Keslyn Secrist led Murray State in scoring with 17 points
Halli Poock (15 points) and Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (14 points) were the other two Racers in double-figures in scoring
Here is the link to the full box score
After making 44-of-50 free throws Saturday against Saint Louis, the Racers made just 12-of-21 at the line Tuesday
Berry Wallace scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Illinois
Murray State returns to action Saturday when they host UAB at 2:00pm
Shooting struggles continue for the Racers
For the fourth-straight game, Murray State was unable to unleash their patented three-point shooting. The Racers made just 8-of-30 (26.7%) from beyond the arc, which, ironically, was their best three-pointing game of the season. In their four regular season games, Murray State has made 24-of-103 (23.3%) three point attempts. The ball will go into the basket in bunches soon enough — but soon enough can’t come soon enough for the Racers.
Currie-Jelks continues her strong play inside
After playing the last two years at Indiana, Sharnecce Currie-Jelks was familiar with the State Farm Center in Champaign, and she played like it on Tuesday. The junior forward scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Racers. She has scored in double-figures in every game this season.
Secrist shines offensively for the Racers
Murray State Head Coach Rechelle Turner saw up and close and personal last year how good of a scorer Keslyn Secrist was when Secrist played for Indiana State. This season, Secrist is seemingly getting more comfortable playing with her new team with every passing game. After a four-point performance at South Dakota State last week, Secrist put together a second-straight solid offensive outing, as she led the Racers against the Illini with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. In the last two games, Secrist has made half her shots, averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Too many turnovers plague Murray State again
For the fourth game in a row, the Racers had more turnovers than assists. So far this season, Murray State’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 0.59. Last season, that number was 1.40. Yes, the team’s turnovers are up this season with 14.5 per game from 12.8 a year ago. While that is part of the problem, the lack of assists is the main issue. You can’t get an assist without making a basket, and the Racers are struggling to put the ball in the hole. Murray State averaged 17.9 assists per game last year, while this season that number is just 8.5.
Next up: UAB comes to The Bank
The Racers will return home for a Saturday matinee when they welcome in UAB to the CFSB Center. Tip-time is set for 2:00pm.