Thursday, January 15
Carbondale, Ill.
6 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
4-12,1-6MVC
74
vs
87
Murray State
15-2,6-0MVC
1
2
3
4
F
Murray St.
23
21
21
22
87
Southern Ill.
14
23
19
18
74
Salukis Fail to Keep Up With High-Powered Racers’ Offense
01/15/2026 | 11:23:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois women's basketball (4-12, 1-6) continued their homestretch on Thursday with a match against Murray State (15-2, 6-0). While SIU was able to put some points up, there was little they could do to slow down Murray State's offense, eventually falling 87-74.
Inside the Box Score
How it Happened
First Quarter
The Racers got the scoring started immediately with a bucket 11 seconds in to the game. Green tied things up less than 20 seconds later, but Murray State retook the lead before the clock even read 9:00. Green scored once again to even things at 4-4.
Six straight points from the Racers finally gave Murray State a multipossession lead at 10-4. The teams proceeded to trade buckets for the next three minutes until Southern trailed 16-10. A 3-0 run by Green herself pulled Southern within three, 16-13, but five of the final six points of the quarter belonged to the Racers, giving them a 21-14 lead heading into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
Thompson came out and scored a layup to kick off the second frame, but Murray State responded immediately with a pair of free throws. The Racers' eventually built their lead up to 14, 35-21. But this was the start of a four-point spree from the Salukis to cut the gap back down to 10.
Murray State responded in kind, grabbing the next five points to make it 40-25. A three from Kraus began a nine-point streak from the Salukis to bring them back within six, 40-34. The Racers grabbed the next bucket, but SIU scored the next three to bring the deficit down to five with just over two minutes to play in the half.
Only two more points would be scored in the first half, both coming from Murray State free throws, setting the score at 44-37 going into the halftime break.
Third Quarter
The second half began with a quick Green layup, which was immediately followed by a good jumper from the Racers. Tkiyah Nelson knocked down a pair of free throws right before the nine-minute mark to make it a five-point game again. Neither team scored for the next minute of play before a trip to the free-throw line upped Murray State's lead to 48-41.
A three at the 4:57 mark gave Murray State a double-digit lead once again, 55-43. SIU hung around with a three from Davis, after free throws from the Racers, another Southern three made it 57-49. The teams exchanged scores for a few minutes before a free throw and three-pointer put Murray State's lead at 65-51.
The quarter ended with a three and and two-point jumper from Kraus and Cooper to make it 65-56 as the final period of play arrived.
Fourth Quarter
The Salukis continued to cut into the lead with a layup to start the fourth. The Murray State advantage soon shrank to six after Green hit a three at the 8:40 mark. However, the Racers hit a three for the next score, but Southern still did not back down, keeping up with Murray State and trailing 72-64 with five and a half minute to play.
A Murray State layup at the 5:24 mark started a 7-0 Racers run to build a 15-point lead with 4:28 left in regulation. Scores were traded over the next few minutes until Murray State led 87-70 with 1:23 on the clock. Southern managed to score the final four points of the game to finalize the score at 87-74.
Up Next
Women's basketball's homestand continues on Sunday, Jan. 18, when UIC visits Carbondale at 2 p.m.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_WBasketball, on Instagram at @SIU_WBasketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Inside the Box Score
- Indya Green led the charge for Southern with an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double.
- Jeniah Thompson was close to a double-double as well with 12 points and nine boards.
- Kynnedi Davis and Alayna Kraus hit double-digit points as well with 10 each.
How it Happened
First Quarter
The Racers got the scoring started immediately with a bucket 11 seconds in to the game. Green tied things up less than 20 seconds later, but Murray State retook the lead before the clock even read 9:00. Green scored once again to even things at 4-4.
Six straight points from the Racers finally gave Murray State a multipossession lead at 10-4. The teams proceeded to trade buckets for the next three minutes until Southern trailed 16-10. A 3-0 run by Green herself pulled Southern within three, 16-13, but five of the final six points of the quarter belonged to the Racers, giving them a 21-14 lead heading into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
Thompson came out and scored a layup to kick off the second frame, but Murray State responded immediately with a pair of free throws. The Racers' eventually built their lead up to 14, 35-21. But this was the start of a four-point spree from the Salukis to cut the gap back down to 10.
Murray State responded in kind, grabbing the next five points to make it 40-25. A three from Kraus began a nine-point streak from the Salukis to bring them back within six, 40-34. The Racers grabbed the next bucket, but SIU scored the next three to bring the deficit down to five with just over two minutes to play in the half.
Only two more points would be scored in the first half, both coming from Murray State free throws, setting the score at 44-37 going into the halftime break.
Third Quarter
The second half began with a quick Green layup, which was immediately followed by a good jumper from the Racers. Tkiyah Nelson knocked down a pair of free throws right before the nine-minute mark to make it a five-point game again. Neither team scored for the next minute of play before a trip to the free-throw line upped Murray State's lead to 48-41.
A three at the 4:57 mark gave Murray State a double-digit lead once again, 55-43. SIU hung around with a three from Davis, after free throws from the Racers, another Southern three made it 57-49. The teams exchanged scores for a few minutes before a free throw and three-pointer put Murray State's lead at 65-51.
The quarter ended with a three and and two-point jumper from Kraus and Cooper to make it 65-56 as the final period of play arrived.
Fourth Quarter
The Salukis continued to cut into the lead with a layup to start the fourth. The Murray State advantage soon shrank to six after Green hit a three at the 8:40 mark. However, the Racers hit a three for the next score, but Southern still did not back down, keeping up with Murray State and trailing 72-64 with five and a half minute to play.
A Murray State layup at the 5:24 mark started a 7-0 Racers run to build a 15-point lead with 4:28 left in regulation. Scores were traded over the next few minutes until Murray State led 87-70 with 1:23 on the clock. Southern managed to score the final four points of the game to finalize the score at 87-74.
Up Next
Women's basketball's homestand continues on Sunday, Jan. 18, when UIC visits Carbondale at 2 p.m.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_WBasketball, on Instagram at @SIU_WBasketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Team Stats
MUR
SIU
FG%
.516
.414
3FG%
.192
.385
FT%
.762
.733
RB
33
43
TO
8
14
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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