SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Samford 75,
Murray State 66
Eastern Illinois 87, Northern Illinois 81
SAMFORD 75, MURRAY STATE 66
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Murray State women’s basketball team saw its five-game win streak end Saturday as it fell to Samford, 75-66, at the Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, Alabama
Murray State struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the game and despite shooting 41.3-percent form the floor in the first half, was just 2-for-10 from 3-point range. The second half saw a bit of return to form for the Racers, but Samford was able to match MSU at every turn with both teams going 4-for-8 from 3-point range in the third quarter. In the end the Racers were able to cut the lead to five in the fourth quarter, but that would be as close as they would get, as Samford held on for the win.
Another big problem for MSU Saturday was turnovers. Although Murray State committed just one turnover in the fourth quarter, it was too little too late from MSU as Samford scored 19 points off of 19 total turnovers. Murray State also shot under its season average from 3-point range at 9-for-27 and was outrebounded for just the second-time this season
Macey Turley led Murray State in the game with 16 points, while Katelyn Young followed with 14 and Hannah McKay chipped in 11. Alexis Burpo led the Racers on the glass with 11 rebounds, to go along with eight points, while Young followed with seven. One bright spot for MSU in the loss was the fact that it assisted on 20 of 26 made baskets with Young and Turley leading the way at six and five, respectively.
The Racers will now take 10 days off before returning to The Bank for a pair of home games. Murray State hosts North Alabama Dec. 14, followed by Lipscomb Dec. 18.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 87, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 81
MACOMB, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's basketball jumped out ahead early, but had to hold off a late comeback as the Panthers defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies 87-81 in their second game of the Compass Tournament in Macomb, Ill. The win marks the Panthers' first win over NIU since November 26, 2014.
After NIU took the inital 4-2 lead, the Panthers' offense caught fire, as EIU went on a 13-3 run before ultimately ending the first quarter with a 25-18 lead. The Huskies pulled to within 30-24 in the second quarter before an 11-0 Panther run gave EIU a 17-point lead. Abby Wahl and Kira Arthofer each had nine points in the first half while Lariah Washington contributed eight first half points as EIU took a 46-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Panthers got their lead as high as 18 in the third quarter before NIU started to mount a comeback. The Huskies heated up from three-point range and were able to cut the deficit to 10 going into the 4th quarter. NIU continued to chip away at EIU's lead in the final period, pulling to within three with 3:09 remaining. However, despite NIU's best efforts, a Julia Bengtson three-pointer combined with some key made free throws by Wahl and two clutch layups from Arthofer allowed EIU to put the game on ice.
Arthofer led the team with a career-high 20 points and a season-high tying eight assists. Wahl scored 19 points, including her second 10-of-10 performance from the free throw line for the season, and grabbed five rebounds. Washington scored 14 points for her eighth double digit effort in nine games on the season, and recorded a season-high seven rebounds. Bengtson scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in her second straight start. Jordyn Hughes contributed with seven points, six rebounds, and a career-high tying four assists. Miah Monahan scored seven points and dished out four assists, both just one shy of her season-high.
The Panthers outscored the Huskies 46-32 in the paint.
Next up, the Panthers head north to take on the Loyola Chicago ramblers on Wednesday, December 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.