MORGANTOWN — It hasn’t been an easy season for Zoe Murphy, but Friday night made each and every play worth it.
Murphy put on a cold-blooded shooting performance against cross-town rival Morgantown, knocking down seven 3-point baskets. As she converted her fifth of the evening, it mattered just a little bit more than the others because she tallied her 1,000th point.
“I’ve worked so hgard to get this, and it just feels like all the hard work has paid off,” Murphy said.
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was five. This feels good.”
The milestone comes after Murphy suffered significant damage to the anterior cruciate ligament playing travel basketball. In determination to play her senior season and help lead her team, Murphy chose to bypass surgery until after the season, currently playing on the injured leg with a brace.
“I have a torn ACL and everyone told me I couldn’t play on it,” Murphy said. “I think this proves them wrong.”
The shot that earned Murphy the milestone was one of three converted 3-pointers for the senior during the fourth quarter, as she helped narrow a double-digit Morgantown lead to a one-posession game.
“She was a driving guard, and if you came up on her, she was going to the right,” University coach David Price said. “She worked really hard after she got injured to develop that jumper she has.
“She’s limited with that leg, but that’s just what she does and how she plays. I have the ultimate respect for her as a player. She has tons and tons of heart, right up to the last shot.”
