Murray State University Athletics
Lady Racers Travel To Southern Illinois
11/16/2006 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers make their first road trip of the season, and it is a challenging one, taking on Southern Illinois tomorrow (Friday) at 7:05 p.m. in SIU Arena.
The teams met in Murray last season in the first game between them snice the 1999-2000 season. The Salukis took a 42-32 lead at halftime and finished with a 94-77 win over the Lady Racers.
SIU's Jayme Sweere had a game-high 28 points on 11-for-18 shooting to go with a game-high five steals and a team-high three assists. Carlai Moore added 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds. SIU shot 54.4 percent from the field (37 for 68), 61 percent (36 for 59) inside the arc.
Murray State was led by Ashley Nichole Hayes, who had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds in her second career game. Amber Guffey added 18 points to go with a game-high five assists, while Ashley Brooke Hayes had 14 points, going 4-for-9 from three-point range. The Lady Racers hit 41.9 percent of their shots from the field (26 for 62), 45.7 percent inside the arc (21 for 46).
Last season, Murray State was 0-1 going into that game, while SIU was 1-0. This year, the Salukis are 0-1 after taking a 71-60 loss at home to Missouri, while MSU is 2-0 with wins over Kentucky State and Brescia.
Murray State is led by senior Joi Scott, who averages 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. She has had five blocked shots in the first two games of the season, and is shooting 57.1 percent from the field.
Ashley Nichole Hayes brings in 16 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and is 8-for-8 from the line thus far. She is shooting 50 percent from the field.
Guffey is scoring 14.5 points per game and has 5.5 assists per game to lead MSU. She is hitting 40 percent of her three-point shots, going 5-for-12 against Brescia on Sunday.
Southern Illinois is paced by Moore, who had 16 points and 10 boards against Missouri on Sunday. Jasmine Gibson added 12 points, while Dana Olsen put in 11 points.
"It's a huge game for us," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "It's really going to tell us a lot about what we're made of as a team. Southern Illinois is a team that has steadily improved over the last couple of years, and we've got a lot of respect for what they've done, and a lot of respect for their players.
"We've been working a lot on our defensive game, containing the basketball and working on our transition defense. Southern Illinois is a team that likes to run the ball. They did a great job last year, pushing the ball up the floor, and we will have to do a better job with that Friday night. They return all their best players. Carlai Moore is a very talented player, and she has talented players supporting her."
Lady Racer fans can hear the game live locally on WNBS (1340 AM, Murray) or through the audio link found at the official Web site for Murray State athletics, www.GoRacers.com.
