With free throws aplenty, Racers hold off SLU
WBB: Poock and Currie-Jelks finished with 28 each to lead Murray State to win
Murray State beat Saint Louis, 96-88, Saturday night at the CFSB Center. Here’s what you need to know:
With the win, the Racers improve to 2-1 on the season
Halli Poock and Sharnecce Currie-Jelks each scored 28 points to lead Murray State in scoring
Keslyn Secrist was the only other Racer in double-figures with 18 points
The Racers made 44-of-50 free throws in the game
Saint Louis committed 38 personal fouls and had five players foul out of the game
Secrist and Currie-Jelks both grabbed ten rebounds
Murray State will be in action Tuesday when they travel to Illinois
Free throws save the day for the Racers
On a night where Murray State shot 34% from the field and made just 6-of-25 from three-point range, the Racers still put 96 points on the board thanks to an historic night at the free throw line.
The Racers went 44-for-50 from the line, setting a program record in makes, while tying the program record for attempts. In the last 20 years, Murray State is the first team, men’s or women’s, to shoot at least 88% from the line in a game with at least 50 attempts. In the fourth quarter alone, the Racers went 26-for-29 from the stripe to clinch the win.
Poock slams the door on SLU
Junior guard Halli Poock played all ten minutes in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 of her 28 points in the final period, helping the Racers hold off the Billikens. While she was 13-of-13 from the line in the final quarter, Poock had a crucial three-point play, followed by a three-pointer with 2:12 remaining to put Murray State up a dozen late and essentially ice the game.
Currie-Jelks continues her fast start
Once again this season, junior forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks made an impact on the interior for the Racers. She scored 28 points, two shy of her career-high, while also grabbing ten rebounds — it’s her second double-double of the season. Currie-Jelks is shooting 52.9% from the field this year, while showcasing a little bit of an outside threat. She has made 4-of-6 three-pointers this year, after knocking down her only attempt against SLU.
Secrist has her best game in a Racer uniform
After a frustrating 2-for-13 performance from the field against South Dakota State back on Tuesday, Keslyn Secrist had a much better performance vs. Saint Louis. She knocked down 6-of-14 shots, along with a trio of three-pointers, to highlight her night which included 18 points and ten rebounds. Secrist also played 39 minutes in the Racer win.
The Racers continue to struggle from the outside
For a team whose identity has been forged, at least in part, by three-point shooting, this Murray State team is searching for that piece of the puzzle early in the season. In the first three games of the year, the Racers have made just 21.9% (16-for-73) of their shots from beyond the arc. This is the 39th season the three-point line has been in the college game. Murray State’s worst season shooting from deep came in 1997-98 when they made just 26.5% from three. It’s extremely early in the season, and history says this Racer team will certainly get out of this rut, but, for now, Head Coach Rechelle Turner is having to find other ways for her team to score.
Next up: A trip to Champaign
The Racers will play their first Power-4 opponent of the year on Tuesday when they travel north to play Illinois. It’ll be Education Day at the game, and it will have an early 11:00am tipoff.