Southern Illinois University
7-14,2-9MVC
Murray State
14-6,7-4MVC
Recap | Salukis Comeback Effort Falls Short against Murray State
02/09/2024 | 9:15:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University women's basketball team (7-14, 2-9 MVC) couldn't complete the comeback on Friday night against Murray State, falling by a final score of 81-74.
"Our kids fought," head coach Kelly Bond-White said. "I'm impressed with our culture, but I want it for our kids so bad. They're so close, they're battle tested." Southern got off to a slow start on Friday night, as it was out-scored by Murray State, 22-7, in the first quarter. The Racers shot 10-of-19 from the field in their 22-point quarter.
The Salukis sharpened up on the defensive end in the second quarter, holding a high-powered Murray State offense to just 13 points while they scored 19. Seairra Hughes scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the second, while Quierra Love added six points of her own.
At the half, the Salukis trailed, 35-26.
In the third, SIU out-scored Murray State, 21-19, to cut the deficit to 54-47. Laniah Randle's 11 points paced both teams in the quarter.
Despite scoring 27 points in the final 10 minutes, Murray State matched the Salukis offensively, scoring 27 points of its own to win by a final score of 81-74.
The Salukis shot 38.2% from the field, 16.7% from deep, and 65.0% at the free throw line in the loss. Randle scored 20 points to lead the way for SIU.
Southern Illinois will conclude its three-game homestand on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Belmont.
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