With ten threes, Racers edge Boston College, 82-77
WBB: Murray State leaves the Daytona Beach Classic with a pair of wins, improving to 5-2
Murray State beat Boston College, 82-77, in the final day of the Daytona Beach Classic on Saturday morning. Here’s what you need to know:
With their third-straight win, Murray State improved to 5-2 overall on the season
Neither team led by more than six points in the second half
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks led the Racers with 23 points and ten rebounds
Haven Ford (16 points), Keslyn Secrist (14 points) and Briley Pena (11 points) also scored in double-figures for Murray State
You can the complete box score here
The Racers hit a season-high ten three-pointers
Murray State will travel to Morehead State on Wednesday
Racers grind out win vs. Eagles
For the second time in as many days, Murray State found themselves in the middle of a high-level game against a big-time opponent. The Racers and Boston College went back-and-forth all morning long, as the game featured six ties and 15 lead changes. In the 20 minutes of the second half, there were only 66 seconds where either team held a lead larger than four points. In the end, Murray State sealed the game at the free throw line, going 24-for-27 at the charity stripe, to pick up their first win over a team currently in the ACC since 1982.
“A lot of credit to Boston College,” Murray State Head Coach Rechelle Turner said. “They almost beat us at our own game, which is transition. We just had a hard time slowing the ball down. We had a hard time getting matched up, and they really did a good job of taking it to us. But the grind of our team really, really shows. We have an opportunity to put our head down and maybe give in a little bit, but we fight back every time, and that’s just toughness and the grind that we talk about every day.”
Murray State grabs first win over Power 4 team since 2022
With their win over Boston College, the Racers beat a Power 4 team for the first time since they picked off Kentucky in Lexington on December 16, 2022, 51-44. Senior guard Briley Pena was a freshman on that team that beat UK. Against Boston College, Pena scored a season-high 11 points, while going 3-for-3 from three-point range. Pena said today’s win is just another example of how far the program has come since she first arrived in Murray.
“The work that we put in and the work that our coaches put in for the amazing scouts and all that kind of stuff that they do for us to get us prepared,” Pena said, tipping her proverbial hat to Rechelle Turner and her staff. “The plays that they call, I mean, they’re so smart. They just put us in the right position. Shoutout to them and shoutout to us for making those plays.”
“I think that’s where this program is, and I think this is where we want this program to be,” Turner added. “Our kids, sometimes they may look at the schedule and be like, ‘What was Coach thinking?’ But they like these challenges, they want these challenges. To be able to come on a trip and spend time together and enjoy each other, but when it was business time to go out and play two of the hardest games we played all year, play to the effort level that we played, just continue to keep playing, keep pushing with that perfect effort, just really says a lot about these kids. My coaching staff does an amazing job — two great scouts on back-to-back days. We were walking through plays in the hotel. Yesterday, the scout team made a court (in the hotel) and everything. We didn’t even have any court time. Everybody in this program plays a huge role in what we do, and I just can’t say enough about my staff and my support staff and the great job that they do preparing our kids and making adjustments during the game.”
Outside shooting continues to improve
For the first time this year, the Racers made double-digit three-pointers, knocking down 10-of-28 from the outside. Pena was a perfect 3-for-3 from the outside, Brax Baker hit multiple triples for the first time this season, and Keslyn Secrist made 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
In the first three games of the season, the Racers were 16-of-73 (21.9%) from three-point range. In the last four games, Murray State has made 32-of-106 (30.2%) from deep. While that’s still not where the team hopes to be, you can see slow but steady improvement from outside as the season has progressed.
Road trip continues Wednesday at Morehead State
The Racers will play their third-straight game away from home on Wednesday when they travel to Morehead, Kentucky to face their old Ohio Valley Conference rival. It will also be a homecoming for junior guard Haven Ford, who is from Morehead. This is the latest example of Turner trying to take her players back to their hometowns to give them a chance to play in front of their family and friends.
“We want to take our kids home and get to go back and show our appreciation for them coming to Murray State,” Turner said. “Haven has wanted to get back home for a while. I really appreciate Kelly (Wells), the Athletics Director at Morehead, for helping me work this out. We’re going to enjoy the rest of the day (in Daytona). We’ve got to get home tomorrow and then start preparing, because the one thing you don’t want after this huge weekend is to have a letdown. We’ve kind of got to fight against that, but I’m just really proud of the kids and the effort that they put forth in these last two games. That type of effort will take us a long way.”