Southern Illinois University’s women’s basketball team was unable to overcome Murray State’s offense, falling 87-74 at home on Thursday. The loss drops the Salukis to a 4-12 overall record and 1-6 in conference play, while Murray State improves to 15-2 and remains undefeated in the league.
Indya Green led Southern Illinois with an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double. Jeniah Thompson contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing her own double-double. Kynnedi Davis and Alayna Kraus also reached double figures with 10 points each.
The game opened with Murray State scoring just seconds after tipoff. Although Green quickly tied the score, the Racers regained the lead and maintained it throughout the first quarter, ending with a seven-point advantage at 21-14.
In the second quarter, Southern Illinois narrowed the gap several times but could not overtake Murray State. A run by Kraus helped bring SIU within six points late in the half before free throws extended Murray State’s lead to seven at halftime.
The third quarter saw both teams trading baskets, but a series of scores allowed Murray State to rebuild a double-digit lead. Southern Illinois responded with threes from Davis and others but trailed by nine heading into the final period.
Early in the fourth quarter, Green hit a three-pointer that cut Murray State’s lead to six. However, a subsequent run by the Racers pushed their advantage back up to fifteen points as time wound down. Southern Illinois scored four unanswered points at the end of regulation for a final margin of thirteen.
Southern Illinois will continue its homestand on Sunday, January 18th against UIC in Carbondale at 2 p.m.
“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.” (Southern Illinois Athletics)
