NORMAL, Ill. (Interstat) — Halli Poock scored 31 points and Sharnecce Currie-Jelks added 15 as Murray State used a dominant second half to pull away from Illinois State for a 73-62 victory in a Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball game Sunday at Redbird Arena.

The Racers, who entered the game with a 25-3 overall record, trailed by 14 points in the first half but outscored the Redbirds 45-20 over the final two quarters to secure their eighth consecutive win.

Illinois State, which fell to 15-11, came out aggressively on its home floor, building a 42-28 lead late in the second quarter. The Redbirds shot efficiently in the opening half, led by Trista Fayta’s 18 points, and seemed poised for an upset. The Racers, however, closed the first half on an 11-0 run, capped by a Haven Ford layup just before the buzzer, to trim the deficit to 42-39 and seize critical momentum.

The third quarter proved to be the decisive stretch. Murray State’s defense stiffened, holding Illinois State to just 11 points in the period on 4-of-15 shooting. Simultaneously, the Racers’ offense found its rhythm. Poock, a 5-foot-6 guard from Waterloo, Iowa, ignited the rally with a 3-pointer and a driving layup. Currie-Jelks, a 6-foot-2 forward from Jackson, Tennessee, provided a powerful interior presence, scoring eight points in the quarter as Murray State took control.

By the end of the third, the Racers had turned the 14-point deficit into a 61-53 lead, outscoring the Redbirds 22-11 in the frame. The surge continued into the fourth quarter, where Murray State extended its advantage to as many as 13 points. Illinois State never got closer than eight points in the final period, as its offense continued to struggle, managing only nine points in the quarter.

Poock’s game-high 31 points came on 13-of-28 shooting, and she added three assists in 39 minutes. Currie-Jelks was efficient, scoring her 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double. Ford, a 5-foot-6 guard from Morehead, Kentucky, contributed 12 points and three assists.

For Illinois State, Fayta led the way with 18 points, but 16 of those came in the first half. Addison Martin finished with 14 points and two assists, while Doneelah Washington also scored 14 points. The Redbirds’ offense, which shot 48% in the first half, cooled to 29% after halftime.

Both teams scored 40 points in the paint, but Murray State capitalized more on mistakes, scoring 17 points off 14 Illinois State turnovers compared to the Redbirds’ 11 points off 12 Racer turnovers.

The game was a rematch of a double-overtime thriller on Jan. 2, which Murray State won 101-93 at home. Sunday’s contest drew an attendance of 2,792 to Redbird Arena.

With the victory, Murray State solidified its position atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings. The Racers will host Indiana State on Thursday. Illinois State, looking to rebound, will host Southern Illinois on the same night.

The most important part of the game was the closing sequence of the first half and the entirety of the third quarter. Facing a 42-28 deficit with under two minutes to play in the second quarter, Murray State could have folded. Instead, they closed the half with an urgent 11-0 run, a critical momentum shift that transformed the game’s complexion. That burst of energy carried directly into the second half, where their defensive intensity completely stifled the Illinois State attack. The Racers held the Redbirds scoreless for stretches, forced difficult shots, and turned those stops into efficient offense at the other end. This combined defensive stand and offensive execution across the third quarter, where they outscored Illinois State by 11, was the definitive stretch that turned a potential road loss into a comfortable conference victory.