Racers second half defense stifles Lady Bucs

Gage Johnson

Sports Editor

gjohnson17@murraystate.edu

After a four-game road trip, Murray State women’s basketball took on Christian Brothers University in its home opener and came away with a 95-59 victory.

The Lady Bucs won the tip and jumped out to a 2-0 lead with the first bucket of the game, but quickly found themselves trailing the Racers after a 12-0 run.

Christian Brothers regained the lead at 21-20 in the early moments of the second quarter thanks to a 6-0 run. Murray State then went on a 15-0 run and didn’t lose the lead again.

However, the Lady Bucs headed to the locker room trailing only 47-38 because of the offensive performance from junior guards Brynne Lytle and Taylor Williams.

The two scored at will in the first half, combining for 31 of Christian Brothers’ 38 points. Lytle is no stranger to big numbers on the offensive end, putting up 23 points against fellow OVC opponent Austin Peay and 29 points against the University of Memphis in the Lady Bucs’ exhibition games.

After scoring 20 points in the first half, Lytle went 0-for-7 from the field and scored two points in the second half.

Head Coach Rechelle Turner said it was the team’s switch to zone defense that made the difference in the second half and is something the Racers may use a decent amount in the future.

“We’re pretty good at zone,” Turner said. “I’m not a zone coach, I don’t love it, but we’re pretty good at it. We do a really good job of finding shooters, we do a great job with our bumps and rotations and we actually rebound well out of it. We’re going to continue to work on it and our kids are confident and play well in zone and it showed tonight.”

After a 12-2 run from the Racers put them up 60-40 early in the second half, they never looked back. Along with all five Murray State starters finishing in double figures, the Racers’ defense held the Lady Bucs to 20 points in the second half en route to a 95-59 win.

Sophomore guard Macey Turley led the way with 21 points, eight assists and four rebounds; junior forward Laci Hawthorne followed with 16 points and 13 rebounds; freshman forward Macie Gibson finished with 13 points; sophomore guard Lex Mayes finished with 12 points; and sophomore forward Alexis Burpo finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

This was the second double-double of the season for Hawthorne and Turner says it’s her energy on the glass and in transition that is allowing her to be successful.

“She just gives us the athleticism and the little spark that we need,” Turner said. “She’s learned really quick ‘if I run the floor Macey Turley is going to get me the basketball,’ and they make a really good combination going up and down the floor. She’s [also] getting better at finishing at the rim. When she gets to the point that she’s confident in finishing around the rim she’ll be very difficult to guard.”

The Racers forced 20 turnovers against the Lady Bucs. It was a team effort and sophomore forward Sadie Hill’s work doing the little things was exemplary of that.

While she finished the night with just two points, Hill grabbed six rebounds and added two steals and a block to the statsheet, while adding a toughness to the Racers that Turner knows will be a crucial part of her team.

“She’s the toughest kid we’ve got,” Turner said. “She’s going to bring energy and she’s going to bring effort. We don’t need her to score; that’s not her role. But bringing the toughness and the energy off the bench is something this team needs and the players really rallied behind her on that.”

Murray State will take on Arkansas State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26, when they return to the CFSB Center for its second home game of the season.

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(Photos by Gage Johnson/TheNews)

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