Female racers finish the long road swing early in the season; Murray State goes from famine to feast with comeback win at SLU | Murray State

And often it was both in the same game. That’s why head coach Recchelle Turner has been preaching the annoying word “consistency” since the start of the season, as the Racers have resembled a yo-yo with strong highs followed by even stronger lows. It was quite a vicious circle.

And the pattern continued Tuesday night against a dangerous Atlantic 10 Conference Saint Louis team. The Racers started with a 10-0 run, but immediately allowed the host Billikens to go on an 18-0 run of their own. But this time the Racers turned the tide and for once kept going, catching up with Saint Louis late in the third quarter and then scoring a resounding 91-66 win that marked a 30-point turnaround from the first quarter.

The Racers (4-2 and on a three-game winning streak after completing a very tough four-game road swing) started 4-for-4 from the floor in their first big run of the night and then went 1-for-15 the rest of the opening quarter. Saint Louis led 18-14 at the end of the first quarter, but the Racers never let the Billikens’ (3-6) lead get too big.

When the Racers were ready to make their move, it was too much for the host team, as Murray State outscored the Billikens 27-11 in the third quarter and suddenly led by 10 points early in the fourth quarter (63-53). From there, the Racers kicked their game into high gear and once again surpassed the 25-point mark that The System, to which this team has responded, requires each quarter. Murray State closed the show with a 28-13 victory in the fourth quarter, ending any drama in the long drive.

Two free throws from Murray State forward Ava Learn gave the Racers their first lead since the first quarter, 47-46, with 5:39 left in the third stanza. Then reserve guard Destiny Thomas hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to four points, followed by a bomb from teammate Trinity White that increased the lead to 53-48.

The Billikens responded with a three-pointer of their own, cutting the lead to two points, but a layup and a three-pointer from all-time Racer scoring leader Katelyn Young was followed by a Learn jumper after a turnover that cut the lead to 1 at 60 -51 increased :45 left. Haven Ford’s 3-pointer gave the Racers a 63-53 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Racers’ upset was fueled by improved shooting, as they shot 17 of 29 (59%) from the field and 10 of 15 from 3-point range (67%) in the second half.

Young led all scorers with 25 points along with five assists and five rebounds, while Ford finished with 20, nine rebounds and six assists and Learn had a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds. Guard Halli Poock finished with 13 points.