Story by DJ Pigg, Staff writer
Murray State’s women’s basketball team rallied behind forward Ke’Shunan James’ 37 points in their first win of the season over Northern Kentucky University 98-87.
The 37 points was a career-high for James, and she added nine assists, five rebounds, and five steals to the Racers’ win. James took advantage of every free throw, as she went 20-of-20 from the stripe. She set two program records for most free throws made in a game, as well as most consecutive free throws made in a game.
James was excited to grab the career high and the win, but emphasized she is not content with just one win.
“It feels good, but it’s not enough,” James said. “We are small, but we’re deadly, and hopefully we ride this wave from the fourth-quarter on.”
James was just one of four of the players to end the game in double-figures. Senior Forward Bria Bethea added 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, junior guard Abria Gulledge had 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting with four three-pointers, and senior guard Jasmine Borders had 13 on 4-of-7 shooting with three threes on the night.
The Racers’ offense started much better than their first two games and continued throughout, shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from three. They also shot 86 percent from the charity stripe, making 31-of-36 free throws. Trailing by four points going into the fourth quarter, the Racers kicked into gear, outscoring NKU 34-19 to grab the 11-point victory.
Head Coach Rechelle Turner said grabbing that first win was a good feeling and she was proud of her team.
“It feels great to finally let the kids see when they actually put together a good run what can happen for them,” Turner said. “I’m more excited for them. They needed this. I thought the fourth-quarter was finally what we’ve been trying to do.”
Murray State will have a couple days of practice and preparation for Lipscomb University at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21 in Nashville, Tennessee. Lipscomb (1-3) will be coming off their game on Sunday against Middle Tennessee State. The Bisons most recent game was Saturday against Butler University, where they lost 70-58 after leading the Bulldogs at halftime.