(CORALVILLE, Iowa) — Murray State put its depth and free-throw dominance on full display Friday, pulling away from Indiana State 105-88 in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Xtream Arena.
The Racers never trailed, building a lead that swelled to as many as 25 points in the second quarter before coasting home. Murray State’s balanced attack saw five players reach double figures, led by Halli Poock’s game-high 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including three triples.
Haven Ford was quietly brilliant in the point guard role, going a near-perfect 13-of-14 at the free-throw line on her way to 18 points and five assists. Sharnecce Currie-Jelks was the engine in the first half, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists — controlling the paint and triggering the transition game that gave Indiana State fits all night.
The second quarter told the story. Murray State outscored Indiana State 31-13 in the period, capped by a four-free-throw sequence off technical fouls that pushed the lead to 23 heading into the half. Indiana State’s Tierney Kelsey battled hard with 46 points on 15-of-29 shooting but never found support enough to threaten.
Murray State shot 43.5 percent from three (10-of-23), converted 33 free throws, and outscored the Sycamores 17-13 in points off turnovers.
With the win, the Racers improve to 29-3 and advance in the MVC Tournament. As of note, this was the first time in MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament history that a team scored at least 100 points. The regular-season champions have now won 20 of 21 conference games and will play Northern Iowa on Saturday afternoon at 1:30.
PHOTO: David Eaton, MSU Athletics
