(VALPARAISO, Ind.) — The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major #1 Murray State women’s basketball team closed out its regular season in dominant fashion Saturday, routing Valparaiso 100-68 at the Athletics-Recreation Center to finish the year 28-3 overall and 19-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Racers never trailed, building a 12-point advantage by the end of the first quarter and methodically extending it throughout the afternoon before a crowd of 311. Murray State’s lead reached as many as 39 points in the third quarter, a fitting exclamation point on a historic regular season.
Five Racers reached double figures, led by Sharnecce Currie-Jelks’s 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. Haven Ford added 20 points and six assists, while Halli Poock orchestrated the offense with 18 points and a game-high nine assists. Keslyn Secrist chipped in 12 and Briley Pena rounded out the starting unit with six.
The Racers set the tone early with their trademark pace, generating 27 fast break points and converting 13 points off Valparaiso turnovers. Murray State controlled the glass with 54 total rebounds — including 15 offensive — leading to 15 second-chance points. The team shot 43.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three, while going 76.7 percent from the free throw line.
Murray State got rolling in the second quarter, when Poock, Ford and Currie-Jelks combined to push the lead from 12 to 29 points at 55-26 heading into the half. The third quarter was more of the same — the Racers outscored Valparaiso 32-20 to take an 87-48 lead into the fourth. Reserve contributions helped the Racers clear 100, with Brax Baker’s nine bench points among 23 total from the second unit.
For Valparaiso (0-31, 0-20 MVC), Fiona Connolly led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting with four three-pointers, but the Crusaders could not overcome a deeper, more explosive Murray State squad in their regular season finale.
Now Murray State turns its attention to the postseason, where the Racers enter as the No. 1 seed in the 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament, set for Thursday through Sunday, March 12-15, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
Murray State will open tournament play Friday, March 13 at 12:00 p.m. CT (Game 4), facing the winner of Thursday’s 3:30 p.m. first-round matchup between #8 Southern Illinois and #9 Indiana State.
2026 CREDIT UNION 1 MVC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Thursday – Sunday, March 12-15 | Xtream Arena | Coralville, Iowa
Thursday, March 12
3:30 PM — GAME 1: #8 Southern Illinois vs. #9 Indiana State
6:00 PM* — GAME 2: #7 UIC vs. #10 Evansville
8:30 PM* — GAME 3: #6 Drake vs. #11 Valparaiso
Friday, March 13
12:00 PM — GAME 4: #1 Murray State vs. Winner Game 1
2:30 PM* — GAME 5: #4 Northern Iowa vs. #5 Bradley
6:00 PM — GAME 6: #2 Belmont vs. Winner Game 2
8:30 PM* — GAME 7: #3 Illinois State vs. Winner Game 3
Saturday, March 14
1:30 PM — GAME 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
4:00 PM — GAME 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7
Sunday, March 15
1:00 PM — MVC Championship Game
*Times of games are approximate
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Women’s Basketball Championship – Missouri Valley Conference. For live stats, ways to watch and more, visit Championship Central.
