Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Eastern Illinois
All-Around Racers Effort Leads to 71-64 Victory Over Eastern Illinois
1/20/2011 9:03:10 PM | Women's Basketball
Box Score
MSU saw two players record a double-double for the first time in two seasons and a third add a double-digit point total. Sophomore Mariah Robinson led the way with 29 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, with red-shirt freshman Jessica Winfrey adding 11 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Rachael Isom also had a strong game, recording a season-best 16 points.
The Racers started the opening stanza strong with a 7-2 run in the first three minutes. MSU held on to the lead, increasing it to as many as eight points, in the first 10 minutes of the half. With just under 13 minutes left, the Panthers started a 7-0 run that allowed them to take a short advantage. However, a 4-0 run by Robinson over a 15 second span gave the Racers the lead back. The teams traded shots for the next two minutes before MSU started a 7-0 run of its own to take the lead for good in the half. The Racers ended the stanza with an eight-point lead, 42-34.
The second half was a much closer battle, with both teams stepping up the defensive pressure. In the first10 minutes of the stanza the teams combined for just 20 points and held each other scoreless for long stretches at a time. Both teams were scoreless over a three-minute span during the time span, with the Panthers earning the first points and sparking an effort that cut the deficit to four points with 10:30 left to play. The Racers fought back and pushed the lead out even farther than they had before, earning a double-digit advantage over the next three minutes. The four-point deficit was the closest that MSU allowed the Panthers to get the rest of the half, as they earned the seven-point victory.
MSU had all nine players that earned playing time score at least one point in the game, and just two fail to tally a rebound. The all-around effort helped the team garner a 43.4 shooting percentage, while holding EIU to a 36.5 mark. The Racers also earned a key advantage from beyond the arc, hitting 8-of-22 attempts (36.4%) and holding the Panthers to just 18.2 percent (4-of-22). MSU also out-scored EIU 22-18 in the paint.
The Racers will continue their home stand with an OVC battle with Southeast Missouri. The game marks the final new opponent for MSU this season and the end of the first half of the conference schedule. The Redhawks will come to the CFSB Center for a 5:15 p.m. tip-off Saturday, Jan. 22.
Notes: Mariah Robinson has tallied 20-or-more points in a game five times in her two-year career…this was the first time that MSU has had two players record a double-double in the same game since Dec. 18, 2008 when Ashley N. Hayes (14 pts., 12 reb.) and Amber Guffey (20 pts., 11 reb.) each had one.
