MURRAY, Ky. – The University of Evansville women's basketball went into halftime with a 44-43 lead over the MVC Regular Season champion Murray State Racers on Saturday, but Murray State proved to be too much offensively in the second half, pulling away for a 99-80 win.  

Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights) scored 22 points to lead the Aces, marking the third time in the last four games that she has scored 20-plus points. Kylee Norkus (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) had her second strong performance in a row, scoring a career-high 19 points while shooting 6-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line. BreAunna Ward (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School) also enjoyed a strong game, scoring 15 points while grabbing six rebounds.

Georgia Cox (Ballarat, Australia/Eastern Illinois) got the Aces going offensively in the first quarter, scoring the team's first six points to help Evansville take a 12-9 lead at the first media timeout. Evansville extended the lead to seven on a fast break layup by Runner, but the Racers closed the gap to make the score 18-18 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Runner knocked down a pair of threes to give the Aces a 26-24 lead, and a three by Sydney Huber (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mount Vernon) made it a 31-27 advantage. Murray State would battle back, taking a 39-35 lead at the 2:49 mark, but seven points by Norkus in the final 1:37 of the half gave Evansville a 44-43 lead at the break.  

The Aces and Racers traded baskets early in the third quarter, but Murray State used an 8-0 run to grab a seven-point lead with 5:21 to go in the period, their largest of the day. The Racers stayed hot offensively following the run, opening the lead to 11 heading into the fourth quarter.

Murray State remained in control in the final 10 minutes of action, pulling away for a 99-80 win.

Evansville is back in action on Thursday, traveling to Peoria to take on Bradley. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.