Women trample Tigers 77-69 in conference play

    In a back-and-forth volley between the Racers and Tennessee State, Murray State was able to defeat the Tigers 77-69 Thursday at the RSEC.
    In the first half of play the Racers stuck close to the Tigers, remaining either tied or two points behind TSU, rarely gaining a lead.
    With 6:30 remaining in the half, freshman forward Jessica Holder garnered a one-point lead for Murray State, one of the few leads the Racers would manage in the first half.
    A foul shot by TSU’s senior forward Obiageli Okafor tied the score at 26 points, and a shot by junior guard Meredith Stafford put them back in the lead.
    A two-point shot in the paint by senior guard Kayla Vance and two foul shots by senior guard Mallory Luckett put the Racers back in the lead by a single point with sophomore forward Kristen Kluempers extending that lead to three.        
    However, the Tigers tied the game again in a single shot with two minutes left in the half.         After a TSU injury halted game play for nearly ten minutes, the Racers continued to fight TSU, exiting the half ahead by three at a score of 37-34.
    Coming out of the locker room, the Tigers quickly tied with a three-point shot.         The Racers countered with two points by sophomore guard, Rachael Isom, and the chase was on again.
    “We were just hungry for a win,” Vance said. “We knew we were coming back to our home court. We wanted to make up for how we played against Martin.”
    Murray State took a four-point lead two minutes into the half, keeping the Tigers at bay despite several attempts by TSU to regain control of the half.
    The Racers exited the game with an eight point victory and their fifth OVC win of the season.
    “Great thing about it is it puts us in a position where we take care of business and we’re moving close to being in a position to host a first- round game,” Head Coach Rob Cross said, “That’s still the goal. None of that will be decided til after the final game ends on that Saturday night before the tournament.”
    The Racers were led in points by Vance, Luckett and freshman guard Tessa Elkins with 20, 15 and 10, respectively. For rebounds, Luckett added nine to the team’s total with teammates Elkins and Kluempers adding seven and six, respectively. Luckett also led in assists with eight, nearly achieving a second triple-double on her birthday, no less.
    “Tennessee State were picked to finish third in the league and they have that talent,” Cross said. “I’m proud of the way we finished the game because we did finish the game and it never got to the point where the couple of mental errors we made didn’t cause us to be in a position where the game was in doubt.”
    The Racers play at home against Austin Peay  at 5:15 p.m. Saturday in the RSEC.
    Contact Ledbetter at kyra.ledbetter@murraystate.edu.