Women’s Basketball Fights Until Last Second, Falls to Murray State, 79-75

Thursday, January 29

Murray, KY

6 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

6-13,3-7MVC

Murray State

18-3,9-1MVC

Southern Ill.

Murray St.

Women’s Basketball Fights Until Last Second, Falls to Murray State, 79-75

01/29/2026 | 8:43:00 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – For the first time in three weeks, Southern Illinois women's basketball (6-13, 3-7) hit the road when they visited Murray State (18-3, 9-1) on Thursday. After a valiant effort by the Salukis, a late-game push proved in vain as Murray State escaped with a 79-75 win.

Inside the Box Score

Alayna Kraus dropped 23 points off a very efficient 10-14 night from the field to lead all scorers.
Indya Green added another double-double to her season total with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Kayla Cooper (12) and Jeniah Thompson (11) had double-digit points as well.

How it Happened

First Quarter
After 80 seconds of scoreless action, the Racers struck first with a jumper, but Kraus tied things up less than a minute later. Back-to-back buckets from Green and Kynnedi Davis built SIU a 6-2 lead with 6:26 left in the quarter. A Murray State three brought them back within one, and, following a Saluki free throw make, the Racers took the lead off another make from beyond the arc.

After exchanging a couple two-point plays, two straight threes from Murray State gave them a five-point advantage, 16-11. With less than 90 seconds to play, Thompson ended the Racers' run with a layup which was immediately followed by a Murray State basket. Thompson still had the hot touch though and converted on a three-point attempt to make it 18-16 with under a minute to play. Both teams got a stop on defense to end the quarter, with Murray State leading by two at the first break.

Second Quarter
Southern found an equalizer shortly into the second quarter thanks to a Thompson bucket. A jumper from Green gave SIU a 20-18, but an 8-0 run by the Racers put them back on top, 26-20. Green and Kraus both scored to pull the Salukis back within two before an and-one by Murray State made it 29-24.

The scoring heated up in the final 2:30 of the half. Kraus hit a jumper to make it a one-possession game again, but five straight points from the Racers increased the lead to eight before Kraus knocked down a three to cut the deficit to five. After trading jumpers, Murray State it a last-second three-pointer to take a 39-31 lead into halftime.

Third Quarter
Much like the previous quarter, the third started with a Saluki basket, this one courtesy of Green. This was followed up by a Murray bucket as the opponents commenced to trade scores for the first five minutes of the half, leading to a 51-42 Racers' lead with 4:58 to play in the frame.

A falling layup by Kraus pulled SIU back within seven, but, yet again, Murray State responded with a basket of their own to keep their advantage at nine. Cooper hit a layup, yet Murray was there with another response, rebuilding their nine-point advantage. Karris Allen hit on a jumper to keep the scoring exchange going.

Southern was finally able to chip into the lead a little more when, after one Murray free-throw make, Tkiyah Nelson went two-for-two on a trip to the charity stripe to pull the Salukis within six, 56-50. Three free-throw makes put the Racers back up by nine, but Green hit the last basket of the quarter to make it 59-52 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Fourth Quarter
SIU scored the first four points of the quarter to make it a one-possession game, 59-56. A 5-2 run from Murray State bumped their lead back up to six, but an and-one play by Nelson cut that deficit in half. Both teams snagged two, two-point plays to keep the different at three, 68-65, with 4:17 left in regulation.

A layup from Green made it just a one-point game. After a bucket from both squads, four straight Murray State free throws made it 74-69 with 40 seconds on the clock. The free-throw game then ensued, with the teams scrapping their way to a 77-72 game with the Racers still on top. Cooper hit a three with two seconds left, but it proved too little too late as two final Murray free throws clinched the 79-75 win for the Racers.

Up Next
The Salukis have another decent break in play now, as they will not be back in action until Thursday, Feb. 5, when they travel to UIC for a 7 p.m. game.

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.