Gage Johnson
Sports Editor
gjohnson17@murraystate.edu
With the help of senior forward Cekeya Mack and junior forward Laci Hawthorne’s double-double performances, Murray State women’s basketball defeated Georgetown College 83-36.
The Racers got things going with a hot start from Hawthorne out of the gates. Hawthorne got the starting nod in her first game with Murray State and had six points to go along with four rebounds to help the Racers to a 15-7 first quarter lead.
Hawthorne ended the night, leading all scorers with 20 points, while snagging 12 rebounds. Head Coach Rechelle Turner said her energetic play and athleticism will be a huge asset to the team going forward.
“She never stops,” Turner said. “She’s always around the ball. If she’s not getting an offensive board she’s right there. She plays that hard all the time and that energy is infectious. With her effort alone she gets things done, but then she has ability and skill that allows her to do other things as well.”
The Racers ramped up their efficiency in the second quarter, going 11-for-18 including an 8-0 run to to send Murray State to the locker room with a 41-23 lead.
The second half was much the same, with Turner and company coasting to an 82-36 victory.
The Racers had five players in double figures in Hawthorne, sophomore guard Macey Turley (12 points), freshman forward Macie Gibson (11 points), senior forward Cekeya Mack (10 points) and freshman guard Jentri Worley.
As much as the offense was run through Turley, it was evident that they want to take some off the large workload she carried last season away and Turner thinks they have the depth to do it.
“We want to be able to put her [Turley] in the position to where she doesn’t have to have the ball in her hands for 40 minutes,” Turner said. “Jentri is a freshman, but she came in tonight and proved she can run the the team and that’s what we expect from her. We do have other people that can get the ball down the floor, we want to play fast, we want to take the first best shot and we feel like we have kids that can make those shots.”
The team also let it fly from beyond the arc, shooting 9-for-30. Turner said while they may not all have went in, she wants her team taking those shots and that it will be a crucial part of their offense.
“I think that [three-point shooting] has to be one of our weapons because we have that ability,” Turner said. “We’re not going to just kill people on the inside just yet, so we’re going to have to take advantage of those opportunities. I think getting the three ball up is going to be something we look to do quite a bit.”
Murray State will hit the road to open up the regular season, taking on the No. 9 ranked University of Louisville at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, at the KFC Yum! Center.