Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
2-0,0-0MVC
Southern Indiana
1-1,0-0OVC
Ford's Buzzer Beater Fuels Racers to Season Opening Win
11/7/2025 9:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Murray State women's basketball defeated Southern Indiana 79-77 to open the season
Murray State women's basketball opened the regular season with a statement win Friday night, outlasting Southern Indiana 79-77 in a wire-to-wire battle at Liberty Arena.
Junior guard Haven Ford delivered the decisive bucket at the buzzer, driving through the lane for the game-winning layup to lift the Racers to the victory. Ford finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.
Halli Poock once again led the way offensively, scoring a game-high 22 points behind a 13-for-13 showing at the free throw line. Sharnecce Currie-Jelks was a force inside, posting a dominant 15-point, 14-rebound double-double, and Keslyn Secrist added 14 points and seven boards. Briley Pena rounded out the starting five with 10 points and two made threes.
The Racers trailed 15-14 after the opening quarter but regrouped to take a 32-32 tie into halftime. Murray State used a 23-point third period to grab control and sealed it late with Ford's heroics after Southern Indiana tied the game at 77 with two seconds remaining.
Murray State shot 42 percent from the field and 88 percent from the line, converting 30 of 34 attempts. Defensively, MSU limited USI to 26 percent shooting from three and won the rebounding battle 42-38, including 14 offensive boards.
The Racers return home Monday to host Oakland City in their regular-season home opener at the CFSB Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Game Notes
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Ford's game-winning layup gave MSU its first win at Southern Indiana since 2022.
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Poock went 13-for-13 from the free throw line, matching the program's best single-game percentage with at least 10 attempts.
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Currie-Jelks recorded her first double-double of the season
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MSU outscored USI 22-6 on fast breaks and 14-10 on second-chance points.
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Murray State went 30-for-34 at the free-throw line (88.2%).
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Five Racers scored in double figures.
- Admission to all Murray State women's basketball home games is free, courtesy of CFSB.
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