Murray State University Athletics
Lady Racers hope to rebound against visiting Tennessee Tech
2/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers, in sixth place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings, will look to make a push to fourth place and a first-round home-court advantage in the OVC Tournament when they host third-place Tennessee Tech on Thursday night. Tipoff time is set for 5:15 p.m.
The Lady Racers (8-13, 4-6 OVC) are coming off a 60-40 loss to first-place Southeast Missouri State at home last Saturday. The Lady Racers shot only 22.6 percent for the game, and their top three scorers on the season -- Rebecca Remington, Ashley Hayes and Shaleea Petty -- went a combined 2-for-23 from the field. Gerraca Matthews led the Lady Racers with 11 points.
“Hopefully, these next two games, we won't shoot 22 percent,” Lady Racer head coach Joi Felton said. “We never expect to shoot that low of a percentage, especially at home.”
Tennessee Tech (15-6, 8-2 OVC) is coming off a 91-79 loss at Jacksonville State last Saturday. The Golden Eaglettes placed four players in double figures, led by Jana Reece's 17 points. Tynisha Alexander added 15, while Kendall Cavin and Marissa Hensley chipped in 14 points each in the losing effort.
“Tennessee Tech has the OVC Pre-Season Player of the Year in Emily Christian,” Felton said. “She is very physical inside. They also have very good outside shooters. Their inside-outside game with Christian is why they have been so successful. They like to play a slower tempo and pound it inside, and we want to play a fast-paced style. It will be a battle of the wills.”
Tennessee Tech leads the OVC in field-goal percentage (.481) and three-point field-goal percentage (.429). Christian leads the Golden Eaglettes with 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Cavin averages 13.5 points a game, while Alexander averages 8.1 points a game.
A big reason why Tennessee Tech is first in the OVC in three-point shooting is the quartet of Cavin, Alexander, Hensley and Stefanie Holbrook. Cavin shoots 40.2 percent for the season from behind the arc, while Alexander shoots 41.9 from three-point range. Hensley, the current OVC Freshman of the Week, shoots 36.7 percent from the three-point line, while Holbrook leads the OVC in three-point percentage in conference games only, shooting an astounding .586 (17-for-29) from behind the arc. Reece is also a threat from long range, as she proved by going 5-of-11 from three-point range in the loss to Jacksonville State.
For the Lady Racers, Remington leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.1 points (fourth in the OVC) and 5.7 rebounds a game (14th in the OVC). Hayes averages 10.6 points per game off the bench, while Petty averages 9.7 points and dishes out a league-high 4.3 assists per game.
