Poock Powers Racers to Weekend Sweep

Murray State women's basketball team secures crucial home wins over Valparaiso and UIC

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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The Murray State Racers women's basketball team secured a crucial home weekend sweep, defeating Valparaiso 95-69 on Friday and edging UIC 79-77 on Sunday to improve to 22-3 overall and 13-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play. Junior guard Halli Poock dominated both contests, scoring 26 points against Valparaiso before following up with a game-high 32 points in Sunday's nail-biter against UIC.

Why it matters

The weekend sweep keeps Murray State in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference with six games remaining in the regular season. The Racers have now won 13 of their 14 conference games, positioning themselves for a strong seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

The details

On Friday, Murray State delivered a dominant performance against winless Valparaiso, using a 40-point third quarter explosion to put the game out of reach. The Racers shot an impressive 75 percent from the field in the decisive period, including 7-of-11 from three-point range. In Sunday's much tighter affair, Murray State had to withstand a furious fourth-quarter comeback by UIC before securing the two-point victory.

  • On Friday, Murray State defeated Valparaiso 95-69.
  • On Sunday, Murray State edged UIC 79-77.

The players

Halli Poock

A junior guard who dominated both contests, scoring 26 points against Valparaiso before following up with a game-high 32 points in Sunday's nail-biter against UIC.

Haven Ford

Added 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including five three-pointers, in the win over Valparaiso.

Keslyn Secrist

Contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double in the win over Valparaiso.

Sharnecce Currie-Jelks

Recorded 15 points and a team-high 13 rebounds in the win over Valparaiso, and hit the game-winning free throws with two seconds left in the win over UIC.

Rechelle Turner

The head coach of the Murray State Racers women's basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“We really found our rhythm in the third quarter.”

— Rechelle Turner, Head Coach (marshallcountydaily.com)

“It came down to making plays when it mattered most.”

— Destiny Thomas, Junior (marshallcountydaily.com)

What’s next

The Racers will play in Peoria at Bradley on Friday night at 6 p.m.

The takeaway

Murray State's ability to win in different ways - dominating Valparaiso with offensive firepower and gutting out a close victory against UIC - demonstrates the team's versatility as they head into the final stretch of the season and position themselves for a strong seed in the upcoming conference tournament.