Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Cumberland (TN)
Players Mentioned
Racers Close Out Non-Conference Slate Saturday
12/27/2019 3:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Date (Time): Dec. 28 (5 p.m.)
Opponent: Cumberland (TN)
Site (Venue): Murray, Ky. (CFSB Center)
Audio: WBZB 104.5 FM (PxP: Jeremy Rose)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersWBB
MUR Record (Streak): 6-4 (Lost 2)
CUMB Record (Streak): 5-7 (Won 1)
All-Time Series vs. CUMB (Streak): Racers lead 2-0 (Won 2)
All-Time Series in Murray (Streak): Racers lead 2-0 (Won 2)
First Meeting: W 74-58 (Dec. 1, 1987; Murray, Ky.)
Last Meeting: W 91-71 (Dec. 10, 1988; Murray, Ky.)
Last Five vs. CUMB: 2-0 (WW)
MUR Next Game: Jan. 2 vs. UT Martin
MUR Next Home Game: Jan. 2 vs. UT Martin
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule Saturday when it takes on NAIA Cumberland (TN) at 5 p.m. at the CFSB Center in Murray on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
The Racers got in an 18-0 hole to start and were never able to recover, falling, 84-56 to Samford. The loss put an end to an eight-game home winning streak by the Racers, dating back to last season.
The Racers were outscored 26-5 in the first quarter and trailed the Bulldogs by 37, 51-14, at the half. In the third, the Racers finally found their offensive stroke by shooting nearly 60-percent from the floor, at 10-for-17, and over 60-percent from 3-point range, at 5-for-8, in the stanza. In addition to the hot shooting in the third, the Racers also found their footing defensively and limited Samford to just 13 points and 35.7-percent shooting. Murray State outscored the Bulldogs, 42-33, in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome the slow start, as the Racers fell for the second straight game.
Macey Turley led MSU on the night with 14 points, four assists and zero turnovers, while Alexis Burpo followed with 12 points and six boards. Laci Hawthorne led Murray State in rebounding in the game with nine, to go along with four points and two blocks.
The Cumberland (TN) Series
Saturday will be the third all-time meeting between the two teams and the first in over 30 years. The Racers beat the then Bulldogs in back-to-back seasons in 1987 and 1988 and have not played them since.
Scouting The Phoenix
The Phoenix are 5-7 on the year currently and are coming of a win over Florida Memorial before the break to put an end to a four-game skid. Mackenzie Trouten and Kerrice Watson are currently averaging 11.3 and 11.1 points per game to lead a Cumberland squad that averages 66.3 points per game as a team. The Phoenix are currently shooting 39.2-percent from the floor, 31.6-percent from 3-point range and 70.2-percent at the free throw line. Defensively, Cumberland allows 64.8 points per game, while Britany Miller leads on the glass with 8.0 rebounds per game.
Leading The Way
Macey Turley is currently leading the OVC in multiple categories including assists (47), assists per game (4.7), total points (198), free throws made (59), free throw percentage (92.2), points per game (19.8) and steals per game at 2.3.
Top 25
Macey Turley currently ranks in the top 25 in three separate categories nationally. She is currently seventh in free throw percentage, 12th in free throws and 20th in points per game.
Against The NAIA
The Racers have won each of their last 14 contests against NAIA members with the last lost coming in 1993 at home against Campbellsville.
