Story by Gage Johnson
Senior Writer
gjohnson17@murraystate.edu
Despite a career performance from junior forward Evelyn Adebayo, the Racers were unable to stop the high-powered No. 10 Tennessee women’s basketball team offensive capabilities.
The Racers headed to “The House That Summit Built” Friday to wrap up non-conference play, while looking to win their first road game of the season.
Murray State kicked things off by grabbing the first lead of the ballgame with a jumper from junior forward Evelyn Adebayo. The Racers and the Volunteers would go back and forth for much of the first quarter, however Tennessee would head into the second quarter with a 20-14 lead.
Murray State would continue to hang with the Volunteers to start the second quarter, however two separate two-minute scoreless streaks would allow Tennessee to gain the first double-digit lead of the game. This would lead to a near 20-point deficit for the Racers, trailing the Volunteers 46-29 heading into the locker room.
Tennessee would extend its lead in the second half, exploding for a 35-point third quarter, while Murray State would have its best quarter of the game scoring 24. The Volunteers would go on to claim a 98-77 victory over the Racers despite being outscored in the final quarter of play.
Tennessee registered seven players in double figures, and were led by sophomore forward Rennia Davis’ 20 points and 11 rebounds. Adebayo would lead all scorers with a career-high 28 points to go along with five rebounds.
While Murray State did have 21 turnovers that turned into 24 points for the Volunteers, the Racers still had one of their best offensive outputs in recent weeks despite a lackluster performance from beyond the arch (5-for-26).
Outside of a dominating victory over Bethel University, this was the first time Murray State had scored over 60 points in the six games they’ve played in the month of December.
The Racers were able to knock down 48 percent of their shots in the second half to bring their season field goal percentage to 42. Murray State also was able to convert on 20-for-23 attempts from the charity stripe, an area in which it has struggled at times this season.
With non-conference play wrapped up, the Racers will have four days to prepare for their OVC opener. Murray State will tip-off against Morehead State University at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 3, at the CFSB Center.