Winter Break for the women’s basketball team proved to be a challenge, as they took some tough losses. However, close games mixed with a few wins helped keep some positive energy flowing.
The Racers started with a four-game road trip in which they only earned one victory.
The trip began facing winless Alabama A&M after nearly a week off from games. The Racers fell behind early but used a 21-4 run to regain the lead before halftime.
Alabama A&M opened the final half on a 12-3 run, but both teams struggled to shoot the ball well.
Murray State regained the lead with six minutes remaining but only scored once more, eventually falling to the Bulldogs 67-62.
Murray State then traveled to Florida to play in the 2013 Hatter Classic hosted by Stetson.
In the first contest, the Racers faced off against the home team and suffered a 103-72 loss to the Hatters.
Murray State was out of contention early as they couldn’t recover from an early 11-0 run that put them behind 25-10 midway through the first half.
Stetson finished the game shooting more than 50 percent from the field, while the Racers were held to 33 percent.
The Racers rebounded the next day with an 81-70 win over Bethune-Cookman when junior Keiona Kirby and senior Jessica Winfrey led the team to the victory.
Kirby scored a season-high 28 points in the win, while Winfrey earned her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 18 rebounds.
The victory gave the Racers a 7-5 record going into conference play.
The conference portion of the schedule began just before the new year as the team faced off against Eastern Kentucky.
The Lady Colonels grabbed their first lead of the contest 50 seconds into the game and didn’t relinquish it for the rest of the game, defeating the Racers 86-72.
Murray State did rally to 65-63 with 10 minutes remaining, but couldn’t take the lead as Eastern used a 16-4 run to put the game away.
The conference schedule didn’t get easier for Murray State when they took on three-time defending OVC champion UT Martin.
The Racers and Skyhawks traded leads, but a 9-0 run by the Skyhawks late in the second half decided the game.
Murray State got within one point and had the final shot, but Winfrey missed a 3-pointer from the corner. The Racers took an 88-87 loss and an 0-2 start in conference play.
However, the Racers notched their first OVC win with a 76-68 victory against Austin-Peay Jan. 11 but fell to Belmont 67-57 on the road two days later.
Story by Tom Via, Staff writer