The Murray State women’s basketball team will step away from OVC play for one game to close out its non-conference slate at New Orleans on Wednesday. A win in the Crescent City would give MSU its second six-game win streak of the season.
The Racers out-scored Austin Peay 18-11 in the final five minutes of Saturday’s game at the CFSB Center to rally and pick up its fifth win in a row, 65-61.
The game started off going back-and-forth and that is exactly how it ended. With four ties and five lead changes, neither team was able to hold on to any kind of momentum through most of the contest.
Austin Peay jumped out to a seven-point lead early in the game, but the Racers did not go away. Murray State battled back in the latter part of the half to end the frame on a 13-7 run and take a six-point lead into the locker room at the break.
In the second half, the Lady Govs steadily chipped away at the deficit until finally reclaiming the lead with 14:49 to play. From there, the game continued its see-saw pace until Austin Peay led by three with 5:56 remaining in regulation.
With 4:40 left in the game, junior Alyssa Like came off the bench a drained a three to tie the game at 50 and begin the late surge that would ultimately lead to the MSU win. The Racers then proceeded to make three more 3-pointers in their next four field goal attempts and led by as many as nine with 54 seconds to play.
Despite the large lead, Austin Peay did not go quietly and eventually cut the lead to just three with only seven seconds left on the clock. However, Murray State sank six of nine free throw attempts in the final minute to ice the game and hold on for the four-point win.
Freshman Erika Sisk led the Racers with 19 points, while senior Mariah Robinson scored 17 and tied a career-high with 14 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. The MSU bench outscored the Lady Govs’ bench, 29-8, in the game and was led by junior Erica Burgess with 16.
Wednesday’s game will be just the third meeting all-time between with the two teams, with the series tied at 1-1. The first meeting came in 1979 as part of the UT Martin Christmas Tournament, where the Racers came away with the 110-74 victory.
The next meeting came 15 years later when the Lady Privateers topped Murray State, 78-71, in New Orleans. The two teams have never met in Murray.
The Lady Privateers have won just one game this and are 1-17 overall. New Orleans is competing as a Division I Independent this season, but will move to the Southland Conference next season.
In their last game, the Lady Privateers dropped one at home, 71-56, to Texas-Pan American. Keri Thomas led UNO in the effort with 23 points, while Yasmin Taylor added eight points and nine rebounds.
Thomas currently leads the Lady Privateers on the year with 13.5 points per game, while Mathilde Fogelstrom leads New Orleans on the boards with 7.8 per game. UNO currently averages 53.1 points per game, while their opponents average 72.3.
Tip-off from the Big Easy is scheduled for 5 p.m., with coverage beginning on 1340 WNBS approximately 15 minutes. Links to free live stats and web streaming can be found at GoRacers.com.
Story courtesy of Sports Information.