Box Score | Postgame with Coach Roberts

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Colonels never trailed in the contest, as Shameekia Murray's game-high 24 points propelled the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team to a 63-52 win over Murray State University on Friday afternoon in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinals at Municipal Auditorium.
 
Head Coach Chrissy Roberts earned her 100th career win on Friday becoming the program's second all-time winningest coach. Roberts is currently third among active coaches in the OVC and 23rd all-time in the league.
 
With Friday's win EKU will play Belmont University (23-8) on Saturday in the OVC Tournament Championship game at 1 p.m. ET.  
 
Belmont and EKU have never met in an OVC Tournament contest. The Bruins won the two regular season meetings over the Colonels.
 
EKU (18-11) last faced Southeast Missouri State in the 2005 championship game—which the Colonels won 84-73 in double overtime at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. EKU has reached the OVC Tournament championship game four times, winning the league tournament title in 1997 and 2005.
 
The Colonels led the duration of the contest, after jumping out to an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes. EKU hit on five of its first seven attempts from the field, as Murray netted seven straight points. However, the EKU offense stalled after Murray was whistled for her second foul with 5:34 left to play in the opening period.
 
Murray State (13-16) pulled within three at the end of the first and kept the EKU lead to single digits, as the Colonels led 26-21 at the break.
 
Murray exploded for 15 second half points, leading the Colonels to the win.
 
EKU opened the third with five unanswered to extend its lead to 11 before a 6-0 run from the Racers quickly undone the Colonels' lead.
 
Junior Alexus Cooper connected from deep, before Murray tallied seven straight points for the Colonels—yet again—pushing their lead back to 11 and all but sealing Roberts' 100th win.
 
The EKU defense stymied the Murray State comeback attempts, building its largest lead of the contest with 2:51 remaining.
 
EKU pulled down 44 rebounds in the win, tying the program record for fifth most rebounds in a game. The Colonels' grabbed 34 defensive rebounds on Saturday, marking the second best tournament performance for EKU.
 
Murray State's 52 points marked the second lowest scoring affair of the season for the Racers.
 
Cooper and Jalen O'Bannon also scored in double figures for the Colonels, as Cooper finished with 10 and O'Bannon added 13.
 
Saturday's championship game will be streamed live on ESPN 3.
 
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually.  It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
 
The winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.