Murray State
Chicago State
Lady Racers clamp down on 'D' in exciting come-from-behind win
12/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers used a staunch defense in the second half to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit and forge a 67-63 home win over Chicago State.
MSU (4-4) trailed by as many as 11 points late in the first half, taking a 41-32 difference into the locker room at halftime. Chicago State (5-3) shot 66.7 percent (18-for-27) from the field in the first 20 minutes to Murray State's 36.1 percent (13-for-36).
In the second half, the Lady Racers came out and used a zone defense to quash the quick-shooting Lady Cougars, forcing 14 second-half turnovers while making only six, and holding CSU to 26.7-percent (8-for-30) shooting in the latter period.
"In the second half, we played almost all zone defense," said MSU head coach Joi Williams. "We did a better job in the zone, and (Chicago State) didn't shoot the ball well in the second half, so we were keeping them off-balance.
"Another key was that offensively, we attacked the ball more and got fouled. We shot 17 second-half free throws and went 15-for-17 (88.2 percent) from the line in the second half."
Throughout the second half, Murray State kept chipping away at the Lady Cougars' lead. Trailing 53-47 with 8:19 remaining, MSU went on a 5-0 run on two free throws by senior guard Stacy Holmes and a three-pointer from senior guard Jenny Bowden to pull to within a point, 53-52, with 5:53 left.
Trailing 59-58 with 2:24 remaining, Murray State made its move when junior guard Rebecca Remington hit two free throws to give MSU a 60-59 lead, then junior guard Brittany Park sank two to push the lead to 62-59 with 1:02 left.
CSU's Lachelle Lyles hit one of two free-throw shots with 44 seconds left, but the Lady Racers scored five unanswered points -- two free throws from Park and three for Bowden -- to ice the game.
Murray State was led by Park, who had a season-high 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and a 7-for-9 night from the line. Park also had five rebounds, three assists and a co-game-high three steals.
Senior guard Megan Fuqua added 15 points, hitting three of her seven three-point attempts, while Remington put in 11 points, grabbed five rebounds, handed out a team-high four assists and swiped a career-high three steals. Junior forward Kaleena Miller led MSU with a career-high-tying seven rebounds.
Chicago State was paced by 17 points from Kafayat Davies. Tina Hill added 14 points and a game-high seven assists, while Lyles had 12 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Renada Blackburn grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lady Cougars.
The Lady Racers committed only 11 turnovers while forcing 25.
Murray State will take a Christmas break before its next game, visiting IPFW (Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne) on Dec. 31 at noon CT.
