(CORALVILLE, Iowa) — The Murray State Racers women’s basketball team is going dancing again!
Behind a dominant 91-70 victory over Evansville in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game Sunday at Xtream Arena, the Racers (31-3, 19-1 MVC) secured back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament — and in doing so, etched their names into the conference’s history books. Marshall County High School alum Rechelle Turner’s Murray State team became just the 25th program in MVC history to claim both the regular season and conference tournament titles in consecutive years.
Halli Poock was the story of the afternoon. The Waterloo, Iowa native sharpshooter poured in a game-high 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, knocking down six three-pointers as the Racers pulled away from a competitive first quarter and never looked back. Poock was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player following the performance.
She wasn’t alone in the spotlight. Jackson, Tennessee’s Sharnecce Currie-Jelks was a force on both ends of the floor, finishing with 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds while anchoring the defense that held Evansville to just 10 first-quarter points. Draper, Virginia’s Keslyn Secrist added 14 points on efficient 6-of-10 shooting, and Morehead, Kentucky’s own Haven Ford chipped in 18 points, including four three-pointers that helped push the lead to double digits by halftime. All three were named to the all-tournament team alongside Poock.
Ford also took home the Elite 18 Award, presented each year to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA among all participants in an NCAA championship. It was a fitting recognition for a player who exemplifies what it means to be a Racer both on the floor and in the classroom.
Murray State led 46-27 at the half and outscored Evansville 45-43 over the final two quarters, giving their starters some well-earned rest as reserves closed out the win. The Racers shot 51.5 percent from the field and connected on nearly half their three-point attempts (13-of-27, 48.1 percent).
Now, the Racers turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament, where they enter as the No. 12 seed in the Fort Worth Regional 1. Their first-round opponent: the No. 5 seed Maryland Terrapins (23-8, 11-7 Big Ten). Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. CT on Friday on ESPNU, with the game taking place at the historic Carmichael Arena on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. For basketball enthusiasts and historians, this venue was the home floor James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Charlotte Smith and Sylvia Crawley.
Murray State will look to make noise in March for the second year running — and based on Sunday’s performance, the Racers appear ready for the challenge.
PHOTO-David Eaton, MSU Athletics
