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McMurry's success this season has been on the defensive end. However, quick explosive offense has carried the No. 8 team in the nation past Hardin-Simmons now two times after McMurry defeated the Cowgirls 68-59 at the Mabee Complex Monday night.
Tarra Richardson recorded her second double-double in three games with a 26-point 11-rebound performance. She has been on a hot streak of late – averaging 26.3 points per game the last three contests. The senior was 9 of 18 from the floor and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line.
McMurry began the game quick with an 11-2 start and then built a 31-13 lead with 7:01 left in the first half. Richardson had 17 of her points in that first half while Maigen Sawyer, who finished with 17 points, had nine at half. McMurry led 42-26 at half, shot 54 percent and held the Cowgirls to 28 percent shooting in the first period.
HSU made some halftime adjustments and out-scored McMurry 33-26 in the second half, but the deficit was too great to overcome. McMurry nearly let Hardin-Simmons back in the game, it took 11:14 seconds after the visitors scored went ahead 50-31 for McMurry to reach 60 points.
By then the lead was cut to 11 points as HSU trailed 61-50. The Cowgirls went on a 9-4 run to clip the lead to six points with 1:51 remaining. However, HSU couldn't score on two straight possessions and Sawyer hit a lay up in the paint with 40 seconds remaining to help McMurry go up 67-59.
Jabri Butler scored the final point of the game with 20 seconds remaining hitting one of two free throws. Shelby Hodges had a great game for the Cowgirls with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Amazingly, 16 of Hodges' 18 points came at the free-throw line where she missed only one attempt.
Rachel Cisneroz had 14 and Ashley Allen had 10 points in the loss. However, McMurry's Richardson and Sawyer proved to be the players that put McMurry over the top along with a 19 of 25 performance at the free-throw line.
Richardson now trails Mississippi College's Lacey Kennedy by just 18 points for the all-time career scoring record. Richardson has 1,873 points in her career while Kennedy put up 1,890 points in her career.
McMurry will need just one more win to match the best start in school history. In each of the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 seasons, McMurry began the year at 15-1. McMurry will try to match that success Thursday against Schreiner in Kerrville at 5:30 p.m.
The win was McMurry's 12th consecutive victory, which is only one away from the school's record of 13-straight wins in 2005-2006. McMurry improved to 14-1 overall and 10-0 in American Southwest Conference play while the Cowgirls fell to 12-3 overall and 9-2 in the ASC.
