THURSDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 64, @Murray State 59
EASTERN KENTUCKY 64, MURRAY STATE 59
MURRAY, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team used a stellar defensive effort to come away with 64-59 win at Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State on Thursday night at the CFSB Center.
It is EKU’s (7-9, 2-4 OVC) second consecutive OVC road win.
The Colonels stifled Murray State (5-14, 0-6 OVC) to 20 percent (13-of-65) shooting from the field and 9.5 percent (2-of-21) from three-point range, both the lowest percentages to which they have held an opponent this season. The Racers scored over half of their points from the free throw line, making 31-of-40 foul shots (77.5 percent).
Junior Shameekia Murray powered EKU offensively, notching her first career double-double with 19 points and career-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore Michaela Hunter added 18 points and eight rebounds, while junior Shelly Harper came off the bench to score 10 points and grab six boards.
Sophomore Amadi Brooks, making her second straight start, keyed the Colonels’ rugged defensive effort, playing a career-high 27 minutes, blocking a career-high three shots and coming up with a steal. She also scored five points and pulled down a career-high seven rebounds.
EKU led by four at halftime, 29-25, but opened the second half on a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 36-25, with just over 17 minutes to play.
The Colonels still led by 11, 45-34, when Harper converted a free throw with 14:02 on the clock; however, Murray State slowly started to claw back in the game.
The Racers pulled to within two, 50-48, on a pair of free throws by Keiona Kirby with just over four minutes to play, but Murray and Hunter promptly responded by combining for six straight points over the next minute-and-a-half. EKU led by at least five the rest of the way.
Murray State was led by Netanya Jackson who recorded her third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Her nine made free-throws is a career-high, along with her 17 points tying her career-high