Ashley Hayes Joins MSU 1000-Point Club - Racers Win Fourth Straight
1/24/2008 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Junior guard/forward Ashley Hayes put in a career-high-tying 27 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds to bolster the Murray State women's basketball team past visiting Tennessee Tech 67-55 in Ohio Valley Conference action tonight. Hayes notched her 1,000th career point in the game, becoming the 16th MSU women's player to reach that milestone.
Tennessee Tech opened with a fast-paced game at each end of the floor, chasing down rebounds and loose balls. The Golden Eagles took an early 6-0 lead on back-to-back-to-back baskets by Kristina Tyler.
Tech led 13-8 when Murray State (13-5, 7-3 OVC) took off on a 14-2 run over the next three minutes, taking the lead for good when junior guard Amber Guffey put in a three to give MSU a 16-15 lead. When the run was over, the Racers held a 22-15 lead with 9:58 left in the half.
Tennessee Tech (3-17, 2-8 OVC) was able to whittle that lead to two points, 27-25, with 4:55 left in the period, but back-to-back free throws by sophomore forward Jasmyne Thornton and back-to-back baskets by Hayes pushed the Racers out to a 33-25 lead. MSU was able to push out to a 10-point lead before settling for a 36-29 lead at halftime.
Hayes led Murray State with 13 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field to go with four rebounds in the first half. Senior center Angela Brown had a game-high five boards at the break. Tyler almost matched her 15.2-points-per-game average at the half, putting in 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field.
Early in the second half, Tennessee Tech used a 7-0 run to pull to within two points, 43-41, with 14:54 left in regulation, but a three-pointer from senior guard Shaleea Petty and a layup by Hayes pushed Murray State back out to a 48-41 lead. Two minutes later, a 7-0 run using a three-pointer by senior guard Alaina Lee, a jumpshot by Hayes and a layup by Brown pushed the Racers out to a double-digit lead, 57-45, with 9:27 left in the game, which MSU maintained for almost all of the remaining time.
The win was the fourth straight for Murray State.
Hayes scored her 1,000th career point with 8:31 left in the first half on a jumpshot that gave Murray State a 24-19 lead. Her 27 points tied the career-high set at Samford earlier this season. Hayes went 12-for-24 from the field and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. She is the 16th MSU women's player to reach the 1,000-point milestone, the first since Rebecca Remington (2001-05) on Feb. 12, 2005. With her 27 points tonight, Hayes leapfrogged Tawnya Pierce (1987-91, 1,009 career points) and Julie Pinson (1988-92, 1,012 career points) into 14th place on the MSU career scoring list, just one point behind 13th-place Bobbi Coltharp (1996-99).
Lee put in 15 points --Â just two points short of her career-high -- going 6-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point range. She also grabbed five rebounds and had four assists, playing her 100th career game for the Navy and Gold. She is the 26th MSU women's basketball player to achieve that feat.
"Ashley played very well tonight; she really stepped it up," said MSU head coach Jody Adams. "Reaching a thousand points is quite an accomplishment in one's career. Alaina Lee also stepped it up tonight. She knew all along that they were going to play off of her and let her shoot. She shot the ball with confidence, and when she's ready to do that, she can shoot with the best of them."
Brown finished with a game-high seven rebounds and had a game-high three blocked shots, while Guffey had a game-high five assists. Petty handed out four assists and also had a career-high three blocked shots.
"Shaleea ran the team," Adams said. "We have a good leader in her. When she leads, the team runs well.
"Tennessee Tech came here ready to play. They were hungry for a win. They were in there until the very end; they fought with us the entire way. We came back and fought hard and started doing what we do best, attacking the ball. I think Kristina Tyler is one of the best post players in the league. We tried different defenders on her, and it says a lot about her that we had to double-up on her."
Guffey scored seven points tonight, bringing her career total up to 990 career points. She passed Melody Ottinger (1982-85, 1986-87) into 17th place on the MSU career scoring list.
From the bench, sophomore center Pam Bell took down four rebounds in four minutes of play, while senior guard Gerraca Matthews had four rebounds and three assists in 13 minutes. Junior guard/forward Jessica Jackson had two rebounds in five minutes, while junior guard Paige Guffey went 3-for-3 from the line.
This game opened a stretch where Murray State plays three of four games at home. The Racers continue that stretch with a game against Southeast Missouri (13-6, 8-2 OVC) in the Regional Special Events Center on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men's game.
TONIGHT IN THE OVC
Scores
at Murray State 67, Tennessee Tech 55
at Southeast Missouri 66, Morehead State 58
at Jacksonville State 76, Austin Peay 56
at Tennessee State 104, Eastern Kentucky 85
at Samford 56, UT Martin 41
Eastern Illinois was idle.
Updated Standings (OVC / All)
Eastern Illinois (9-2 / 10-9)
Southeast Missouri (8-2 / 13-6)
MURRAY STATE (7-3 / 13-5)
Samford (7-3 / 14-6)
Eastern Kentucky (5-5 / 10-7)
Tennessee State (5-5 / 8-11)
Jacksonville State (5-6 / 8-12)
Morehead State (5-6 / 7-12)
Austin Peay (2-7 / 5-13)
Tennessee Tech (2-8 / 3-17)
UT Martin (1-9 / 4-16)
Saturday's Games (times are Central Time)
Southeast Missouri at MURRAY STATE, 4:30 p.m.
Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech, 11:00 a.m.
UT Martin at Jacksonville State, 2:00 p.m.
Austin Peay at Samford, 4:00 p.m.
Morehead State at Eastern Illinois, 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Kentucky is idle.
