The Murray State women’s basketball team will make its fourth appearance in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament on Thursday, when it travels to Nashville, TN for a first round matchup against Vanderbilt. Tip-off from historic Memorial Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Brinae Alexander currently leads Vandy in scoring on the season at 15.2 points per game, while Iyana Moore and Jordyn Cambridge follow at 12.2 and 10, respectively. Sacha Washington leads the team on the glass this season at 6.5 boards per game with Cambridge following at 5.7.
As a team, Vandy averages 62.7 points per game on 39.7% shooting with 35.6 rebounds, while their opponents have averaged 62.5 points per game on 43.0-% shooting to go along with 34.3 rebounds.
A win Thursday would give Murray State just its third postseason victory in school history. The Racers defeated Richmond in the 1989 NWIT, the WNIT’s precursor, and then defeated Little Rock in the 2009 WNIT.
Katelyn Young became the second-fastest player in Murray State history to reach 1,000 points in the Racers’ OVC semifinal contest. Young reached the century mark in 58 games, just one game shy of the only Racer women’s basketball player to have her number retired, Sheila Smith, who did it in 57. Young is now the 20th member of Murray State’s 1,000-point club and is currently 18th in all-time points with 1,015. In the Racers’ OVC semifinal game, Alexis Burpo became just the 10th player in program history to reach 700 rebounds; thanks to a career-high 16 boards against Tennessee Tech. Burpo is currently 10th all-time for MSU in career rebounds with 708.
Murray State enters Thursday with 22 wins, the third most in program history. The Racers 22 wins this season only trail the 24 by the 2007-08 team and the 23 by the 2008-09 Racers. This year’s team is the second team to win 22 games, with the 1988-89 also accomplishing the feat.
With a career free throw percentage of 89.1, Macey Turley is on pace to finish her career as the greatest free throw shooter in Murray State history. Her 89.1% is seven-tenths more than the next person on the list, Paige Guffey who finished her career at 88.4. In addition, she also currently has the second-best active career free throw percentages across all three NCAA divisions. Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson currently leads the Association in career free-throw percentage at 92.4.
Murray State enters the postseason as one of the hottest shooting teams in the nation, as the Racers are currently third in Division I in field goal percentage at 47.8. In addition, should the Racers keep this pace throughout the remainder of the postseason, they would finish with the best field goal percentage in program history, surpassing the 47.4% shot by the 1980-81 and 1987-88 teams.
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