Murray State
Arkansas State
Lady Racers' Late Drive Not Enough At WNIT
3/16/2007 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Another second-half deficit, another late run by the Lady Racers, but Murray State's latest push would fall short, as host Arkansas State outlasted MSU in the first round of the Womens' National Invitation Tournament 59-52.
Murray State closed a banner season with a 21-10 mark.
The Lady Racers started out tentatively in the first half, hitting only eight of their 28 first-half shots (28.6 percent). Arkansas State (21-12) hit 48.3 percent (14-for-29) of its first-half shots and held a 33-19 lead at halftime.
"They blocked a few of our shots, and we got tentative and second-guessing out shots in the first half," said MSU head coach Joi Felton, closing out her fourth season at the helm of the Lady Racers. "We came back out in the second half and played more aggressively."
Murray State's defense picked up considerably, keeping hands in the ASU shooters' faces throughout the half and pressuring the Lady Indians when they had the ball. ASU's Adrianne Davie was 4-for-10 from the field in the second half, while the rest of the team hit four of their 16 shots (25 percent) in that period.
Arkansas State got out to as much as a 17-point lead three times in the second half, leading 42-25 with 16:34 remaining when Murray State began to chip away at the lead, getting it down to 11 points when sophomore forward Ashley Nichole Hayes hit a jumper to pull MSU to within 46-35 with 10:45 left in regulation.
The Lady Indians pushed their lead back out to 16 points, taking a 52-36 lead with 5:56 remaining, and the Lady Racers' run got under way. A three from senior guard Ashley Brooke Hayes, a layup by freshman forward Jenny Petrie and a free throw by sophomore guard Amber Guffey got MSU to within 52-42 in less than a minute, and after ASU's Brittney Hiles hit a bucket, two layups from Petrie and a basket from freshman guard Mallory Luckett got Murray State to within 54-48 with 2:01 left.
That's where Murray State's charge just ran out of gas. The Lady Racers were forced to foul late in the game, and ASU hit their free throws to keep MSU at arm's length for the 59-52 final.
"It was almost too little, too late," Felton said. "I'm very proud of the way our team battled back and how hard they fought. We knew coming in that Arkansas State is a talented team and Davie is certainly a talented player. We gave up a lot of size, but we've been doing that all year. We had a couple of breakdowns in the first half and a couple of times offensively in the first half where we didn't get good shots, but I'm proud of this team and how they responded. They gave us a chance to win through our defense."
Junior guard Alaina Lee led Murray State with 12 points and eight rebounds. Ashley Nichole Hayes had 10 points, four rebounds and a game-high four steals. Junior guard Shaleea Petty had nine points and a team-high five assists, while Petrie scored all eight of her points in the second half. Ashley Brooke Hayes had three points and three crucial rebounds in six minutes of play.
Arkansas State was led by Davie's 20 points and 12 rebounds. Rudy Sims chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Lady Indians.
"We've got a great nucleus of players coming back next year," said Felton. "The good thing is that I won't have to get them motivated.
"We missed (senior forward and Kodak All-America finalist) Joi Scott, the best player in our conference and one of the best players I've seen, and that includes my 12 years in the SEC (at Florida) and one year in the ACC (at Clemson). When she went out with an injury, our team came back and responded well. A lot of people didn't give us a chance after we lost her, but our players certainly rose to the occasion. They made believers out of a lot of people, and I'm grateful for all of the support we've gotten this year. The ladies deserved it. They will continue to work hard, and we appreciate our new fans and the support we've gotten from all of our fans."
