Murray State University Athletics
Lady Racers to open season with three straight home games
11/18/2005 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Lady Racers have added a lot of strong talent to an already strong core of talent, as eight newcomers join six returnees this season.
"We are very excited to open at home in front of our fans," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "It gives our kids some extra energy. I hope to have a good group of fans come out and support us. We will do our best to make it exciting."
Murray State won at Ball State 87-76 last season behind 29 points from Rebecca Remington and 25 from junior Ashley Brooke Hayes, who hit seven of 14 three-point attempts in the game.
Just as the Lady Racers lost All-Ohio Valley Conference player Rebecca Remington to graduation, so, too, do the Cardinals come in without Kodak/WBCA All-American Kate Endress, who was also named Indiana's NCAA Woman of the Year.
Endress averaged 18.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season, but Felton knows that Ball State was not a one-player team.
"They did lose their top scorer, but they've got very good returning players," she said. "This game will give them a chance to shine. They will will be very hungry to get a win here at Murray State."
Ball State (16-13 last season, 11-5 MAC) returns Tina Bolte (11.2 points, 2.7 assists per game) and Kelsey Corbin (8.3 ppg, 4.6 rebounds per game, 3.7 apg) to their fold. Also returning are the top scorers from the last meeting, Raechelle Hampton (7.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Krista Stewart (4.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg), who each scored 15 points against MSU last year. Stewart also had eight rebounds in that game. Becca Bajorek, who pulled down nine boards against the Lady Racers last year, also returns, averaging 4.8 rebounds per game last season and shooting 50.4 percent from the field.
Murray State returns Hayes, who led the nation in three-point baskets over a six-week stretch last season. She averaged 10.3 points per game last season and hit 36 percent of her shots behind the arc, averaging 2.4 threes per contest.
The Lady Racers also boast returning guard Shaleea Petty, who led the league with 4.3 assists per game and was second in the OVC with a 1.49 assist-to-turnover ratio and was 10th in the conference with 1.7 steals per game.
Among MSU's talented newcomers are Amber and Paige Guffey, twin sisters who are ranked in almost every career category among Kentucky high schools, setting the record for most career points scored by any tandem of players on the same team at 5,736 points.
