(NORMAL, Ill.) — Halli Poock poured in a game-high 31 points while Murray State’s second-half defense suffocated Illinois State as the Racers overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to earn a 73-62 road victory Sunday at CEFCU Arena.
The win pushes Murray State to 24-3 overall and 15-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play, extending the Racers’ lead in the Valley standings to three games with four remaining.
Poock, who connected on four three-pointers in her offensive showcase, has now scored 30 or more points five times this season — the most such performances of any player in the MVC. Sharnecce Currie-Jelks was equally dominant in the paint, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds for her 20th double-double of the season. That milestone makes Currie-Jelks the nation’s leader in double-doubles and the first player in program history to reach 20 in a single season. Haven Ford and Keslyn Secrist rounded out the balanced scoring attack with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Ford now sits one rebound shy of 500 for her career.
Illinois State dictated the pace through the first half, with Trista Fayta finishing with 18 points and Doneelah Washington contributing 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Redbirds carried their 14-point cushion into the break, but Murray State came out of the locker room a transformed team.
The Racers outscored Illinois State 45-20 over the final two quarters, clamping down defensively and forcing their way back into — and eventually ahead of — the game. In the fourth quarter alone, the Redbirds managed just nine points on 25 percent shooting. Murray State’s opportunistic offense generated 16 second-chance points and 17 points off turnovers to put the game away.
With the victory, Murray State is one win away from matching the program record for wins in a season. Last year’s squad set the bar at 25, and this group will have a chance to at least share the regular season title when they host Indiana State on Thursday.
PHOTO-Clay Wagoner, MSU Athletics
