Murray State University Athletics
Racers Head to Morehead For OVC Battle
12/6/2008 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team continues its travels with the second Ohio Valley Conference outing of the 2008-09 campaign when they battle with Morehead State, Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. (CST) at Johnson Arena.
About Morehead State
The Eagles are now 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the OVC after earning an 82-54 victory over UT Martin Thursday.
Morehead has four players averaging double-digits in points and one with a double-double. Brittany Pittman has garnered 10 points and 10.4 points per game, but her biggest asset to the team in blocks. The 6-3 center has knocked down 42 opponent shots in seven games (6.0/gm). Pittman is strong around the basket for the Eagles, shooting 43.4 percent (25-of-53) from the field. She has taken the most of the team free-throws, but has only converted on 58.5 percent (24-of-41). Pittman can also come up with a lot of steals, but has problems holding on to the ball herself. She has 16 steals on the year, but has committed 20 turnovers.
Transfer Tiffany Hamilton is the team's leading scorer with 14.1 points per game, while Tiffanie Stephens is netting 12.1 and Chynna Bozeman is garnering 12.0. Hamilton is a strong shooter, with a 46.2 percent (26-of-78) mark from the floor and 40.9 (18-of-44) from beyond the arc.
As a team Morehead State is shooting 38.2 percent (166-of-434) from the field and 34.4 percent (56-of-163) from three-point range. However they have struggled from the charity stripe, with just a 66.9 percent (103-of-154) mark this year.
Against the Eagles
The Racers and Morehead State meet three times during the 2007-08 campaign, with Murray coming away with victories in all three meetings.
Then-junior Ashley Hayes led the Racers in the series, averaging 20 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. The Humbolt, Tenn., native also added a 51.9 percent (27-of-52) shooting percentage from the field, and a 35.7 percent (5-of14) mark from beyond the arc.
Amber Guffey is the next returner on the scoring list against the Eagles, with 11 points per game, including a perfect 12-for-12 mark from the charity stripe. All eight of Murray's returners saw playing time in the series, with only two not recording at least two points.
Morehead has three returners from a season ago that saw action against the Racers. Brittany Pittman averaged 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in the three-game series, while shooting 40 percent (18-of-45) from the field and adding seven blocks. Chynna Bozeman is the other returner to see significant time against Murray. She averaged 6.3 points and seven rebounds per game.
The Series
The Eagles currently own a 37-33 advantage in the all-time series with the Racers. However Murray has been victorious in the last five outings dating back to the 2006-07 campaign.
Guffey Grabs Highest OVC Honor
The OVC has selected senior Murray State women's basketball player Amber Guffey as one of six individuals to receive its prestigious Scholar-Athlete Award for 2007-08. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes, and is given annually to three men and three women student-athletes of junior or senior status for their accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and because of their leadership qualities.
“Amber has been a model of consistency as a student-athlete at Murray State,” said Athletic Director Allen Ward. “Her commitment to her academic success, as well as helping the women's basketball program succeed on the court is a great example of what we hope all of the student-athletes at Murray State can strive to achieve.”
The six winners were selected from a group of 19 finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.25 grade point average and conducted themselves in a manner which has brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution, intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the 2007-08 school year.
The 2007-08 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete winners are: Lesley Binning of Jacksonville State University (cross country/track and field), Carrie Burggraf of Austin Peay State University (track and field), Amber Guffey of Murray State University (women's basketball), Brian Morrell of Eastern Illinois University (baseball), Bradley Thompson of Tennessee Technological University (football) and Andrey Yesipov of the University of Tennessee at Martin (men's tennis).
Lucky Luckett
The first OVC game of the season proved to be a career night for junior Mallory Luckett. The Louisville, Ky., native tallied career highs in four categories and added a season high in another. With her career-best five free throws and two three-pointers, Luckett earned a career-high 11 points against the Colonels. She also tallied her first career block and had a season-high two steals.
Free-Throw Frenzy
For the past four seasons, MSU has been knocking down a high percentage of shots from the charity stripe. Their effort to do so has paid off, as the Racers are currently ranked No. 1 among NCAA Division I teams in free-throw percentage. MSU has made 83.6 percent (133-of-159) of its free throws during the 2008-09 campaign. Air Force is second in the national standings with a 83.1 percent mark.
MSU finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked No. 3 in the same category, while the team was ninth in 2006-07, and 14th in 2005-06.
Individually the Racers have two players ranked in the top-100 in free-throw percentage. Paige Guffey leads the team and the OVC with 97.0 percent, having missed only one of her 33 attempts. That ranks her 11th in the nation. Her twin sister Amber is the second member of the MSU roster ranked in the national free-throw standings at No. 80. Amber has hit 45 of her 52 attempts for a 86.5 percent mark. She finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked sixth in the country with a 86.1 free-throw percentage.
The MSU men's basketball team is currently ranked second in the nation for its 84.7 (100-of-118) free-throw percentage. There is one other team in the country with its men's and women's team ranked first and second in the same category. Sam Houston State's men's team is first in assists per game and the women are second. Both the men's and women's teams in North Carolina are ranked second in scoring offense, while Mississippi State is ranked No. 1 in blocks per game for both men and women.
You've Been Guffied
In the game against Colorado State the Guffey twins were two of the keys to victory for the Racers. Amber tallied a season-best 36 points, including 21 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. Paige added 14 points for MSU, while going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
The 50 points Amber and Paige combined for was well above the 24 points that the top two scorers for the Rams scored in the outing.
Guffey Grabbing Honors
After recording one point shy of a career-high against Colorado State and 52 points at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational, Amber Guffey was named to the five-member Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational All-Tournament team. The Albany, Ky., native then added to her honors for the week by picking up the Racers' first OVC Player of the Week award for 2008-09.
The Lowe Down
Freshman Kayla Lowe had a good weekend at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational. After recording a career-best three rebounds against No. 21 Florida State, the Pikeville, Ky., native netted five career highs against Colorado State. Lowe earned career bests with her eight points, five rebounds, two field goals made, two three-pointers made, and two free throws.
Lowe had already topped her career bests in the points and rebounding columns before the end of the first half and continued to add to them through the remainder of the game.
Racer Defense
MSU continued to show that they can be a very tough defensive team over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Racers recorded a season-best five team blocks against the Seminoles, while holding FSU to just two.
In the third-place game against CSU, MSU added three more blocks and helped the Rams into 22 turnovers. The defense then stepped up a notch in the second half of play. The Racers held the Rams without a field goal in the final 9:58 of the game, while only allowing them to earn four points at the free-throw line during the span. CSU was in the bonus during the time-frame, but the Racers recorded only two fouls.
Scoring Sensation
For the first time since 1988-89 the MSU women's basketball team recorded at least 100 points in two games in a single season, with their 100-68 win over Bethel and 103-53 win over Mid-Continent. This was the fourth time in school history that the Racers have tallied 100 or more points in a game in a single season. The 1988-89 team accomplished the feat three times, while the 1987-88 and 1981-82 squads did it twice.
The 103 points scored by MSU in the RSEC also set an arena record for the most points scored by a women's team in the building. The old record was 100 set in 2006 against Jacksonville State and tied this season against Bethel.
Making Moves
Seniors Ashley Hayes and Amber Guffey started the 2008-09 campaign as the ninth and 11th best scorers in MSU history. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Hayes leapt up to the No. 6 position on MSU's All-Time Scoring charts and in the first conference game of the season against Eastern Kentucky she moved into the No. 5 spot, with 1,427 points. Hayes will now be aiming for the No. 4 spot held by Jennifer Parker, with 1,680 points.
Guffey also made a move up the scoring charts against the Colonels. She passed Monika Gadson and Diane Oakley for the No. 8 position on the scoring charts and now has 1,359 points. She will need 33 more to take the No. 7 spot from Stephanie Minor (1,392 points).
NCAA Student-Athlete Blog
The NCAA started a new feature on its website for the 2008-09 season. The organization has chosen a student-athlete from each of the sponsored sports at each division to create a blog for the duration of the athlete's season. The NCAA asked the MSU women's basketball team to participate in the blog, and seniors Amber Guffey and Ashley Hayes have been uploading at least one blog entry per week since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.
The Guffey/Hayes Blog can be found as a link on www.GoRacers.com on the right-hand side of the women's basketball page.
Preseason Expectations
After finishing second in the regular season standings and defeating Eastern Illinois to claim the OVC Tournament Championship in 2007-08 the league coaches and sports information directors have picked Murray State to finish second in 2008-09.
“It really doesn't matter to me where we are ranked preseason,” Cross said. “Our league is very competitive and anyone of the teams can come out and perform well enough on any given night to win.”
Seniors Amber Guffey and Ashley Hayes also earned spots on the 2008-09 All-OVC Pre-season team. Hayes also earned the distinction of being picked the OVC Pre-Season Player of the Year.
“I am pleased for Amber and Ashley to earn those honors,” added Cross. “Being that both understand that pre-season awards are nice, but they do not guarantee success.”
Early Signing Period Successful
In his first season as head coach Rob Cross had no problems getting commitments for the 2009-10 campaign. Cross announced the signing of seven student-athletes Wednesday, Nov. 12.
The class has been ranked No. 54 in the nation by Blue Star Basketball and is one of a few non-BCS schools to make the list.
Cross signed:
Kayla Cunningham, F, 6-2, Calloway County (Ky.)
Tessa Elkins, G, 5-6, Lakota West (Ohio)
Jessica Holder, F, 6-2, Marshall County (Ky.)
Aubrey Minix, G, 5-9, Oregon-Davis (Ind.)
Candace Nevels, G, 5-9, Bolingbrook (Ill.)
Mariah Robinson, G, 5-8, Ohio County (Ky.)
Jessica Winfrey, F, 6-0, Marion (Ark.)
The group includes two local standouts (Cunningham, Holder), three recognized by ESPN.com (Elkins, Nevels, Winfrey), a player from the No. 2 ranked high school squad in the nation (Nevels), and five all-state honorees.
Challenging Road Ahead
The road to another trip to the OVC Championship game and to the NCAA Tournament will be tough again this season. MSU has nine non-conference games scheduled, including three against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Those teams include Western Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), and Florida State, which advanced to the second round.
The Racers opened the season with a 78-95 loss to Western Kentucky, Nov. 14. Florida State was the next big test at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational, with MSU losing 50-85.
Upcoming Schedule
The final game of the Racers longest road swing of the season will be at Evansville, Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.
The final two games of the 2008 portion of the year will be contested in the RSEC. The first will be Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Alabama A&M at 7 p.m. The final game of 2008 is a 7 p.m. tip-off against Houston Baptist, Friday, Dec. 19.
Quick Plays
MSU shot 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field during the game to the Colonels 38.6 percent (22-of-57)...MSU also capitalized with 25 points off EKU's 19 turnovers to help with the difference in the score... Ashley Hayes had double digits in the points column before the third media timeout in the first half at 7:57 and ended the game with a team-best 25 points...rookie Jana Roney had career-highs for rebounds (5) and free-throws made (3).
The Murray State women's basketball team continues its travels with the second Ohio Valley Conference outing of the 2008-09 campaign when they battle with Morehead State, Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. (CST) at Johnson Arena.
About Morehead State
The Eagles are now 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the OVC after earning an 82-54 victory over UT Martin Thursday.
Morehead has four players averaging double-digits in points and one with a double-double. Brittany Pittman has garnered 10 points and 10.4 points per game, but her biggest asset to the team in blocks. The 6-3 center has knocked down 42 opponent shots in seven games (6.0/gm). Pittman is strong around the basket for the Eagles, shooting 43.4 percent (25-of-53) from the field. She has taken the most of the team free-throws, but has only converted on 58.5 percent (24-of-41). Pittman can also come up with a lot of steals, but has problems holding on to the ball herself. She has 16 steals on the year, but has committed 20 turnovers.
Transfer Tiffany Hamilton is the team's leading scorer with 14.1 points per game, while Tiffanie Stephens is netting 12.1 and Chynna Bozeman is garnering 12.0. Hamilton is a strong shooter, with a 46.2 percent (26-of-78) mark from the floor and 40.9 (18-of-44) from beyond the arc.
As a team Morehead State is shooting 38.2 percent (166-of-434) from the field and 34.4 percent (56-of-163) from three-point range. However they have struggled from the charity stripe, with just a 66.9 percent (103-of-154) mark this year.
Against the Eagles
The Racers and Morehead State meet three times during the 2007-08 campaign, with Murray coming away with victories in all three meetings.
Then-junior Ashley Hayes led the Racers in the series, averaging 20 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. The Humbolt, Tenn., native also added a 51.9 percent (27-of-52) shooting percentage from the field, and a 35.7 percent (5-of14) mark from beyond the arc.
Amber Guffey is the next returner on the scoring list against the Eagles, with 11 points per game, including a perfect 12-for-12 mark from the charity stripe. All eight of Murray's returners saw playing time in the series, with only two not recording at least two points.
Morehead has three returners from a season ago that saw action against the Racers. Brittany Pittman averaged 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in the three-game series, while shooting 40 percent (18-of-45) from the field and adding seven blocks. Chynna Bozeman is the other returner to see significant time against Murray. She averaged 6.3 points and seven rebounds per game.
The Series
The Eagles currently own a 37-33 advantage in the all-time series with the Racers. However Murray has been victorious in the last five outings dating back to the 2006-07 campaign.
Guffey Grabs Highest OVC Honor
The OVC has selected senior Murray State women's basketball player Amber Guffey as one of six individuals to receive its prestigious Scholar-Athlete Award for 2007-08. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes, and is given annually to three men and three women student-athletes of junior or senior status for their accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and because of their leadership qualities.
“Amber has been a model of consistency as a student-athlete at Murray State,” said Athletic Director Allen Ward. “Her commitment to her academic success, as well as helping the women's basketball program succeed on the court is a great example of what we hope all of the student-athletes at Murray State can strive to achieve.”
The six winners were selected from a group of 19 finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.25 grade point average and conducted themselves in a manner which has brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution, intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the 2007-08 school year.
The 2007-08 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete winners are: Lesley Binning of Jacksonville State University (cross country/track and field), Carrie Burggraf of Austin Peay State University (track and field), Amber Guffey of Murray State University (women's basketball), Brian Morrell of Eastern Illinois University (baseball), Bradley Thompson of Tennessee Technological University (football) and Andrey Yesipov of the University of Tennessee at Martin (men's tennis).
Lucky Luckett
The first OVC game of the season proved to be a career night for junior Mallory Luckett. The Louisville, Ky., native tallied career highs in four categories and added a season high in another. With her career-best five free throws and two three-pointers, Luckett earned a career-high 11 points against the Colonels. She also tallied her first career block and had a season-high two steals.
Free-Throw Frenzy
For the past four seasons, MSU has been knocking down a high percentage of shots from the charity stripe. Their effort to do so has paid off, as the Racers are currently ranked No. 1 among NCAA Division I teams in free-throw percentage. MSU has made 83.6 percent (133-of-159) of its free throws during the 2008-09 campaign. Air Force is second in the national standings with a 83.1 percent mark.
MSU finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked No. 3 in the same category, while the team was ninth in 2006-07, and 14th in 2005-06.
Individually the Racers have two players ranked in the top-100 in free-throw percentage. Paige Guffey leads the team and the OVC with 97.0 percent, having missed only one of her 33 attempts. That ranks her 11th in the nation. Her twin sister Amber is the second member of the MSU roster ranked in the national free-throw standings at No. 80. Amber has hit 45 of her 52 attempts for a 86.5 percent mark. She finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked sixth in the country with a 86.1 free-throw percentage.
The MSU men's basketball team is currently ranked second in the nation for its 84.7 (100-of-118) free-throw percentage. There is one other team in the country with its men's and women's team ranked first and second in the same category. Sam Houston State's men's team is first in assists per game and the women are second. Both the men's and women's teams in North Carolina are ranked second in scoring offense, while Mississippi State is ranked No. 1 in blocks per game for both men and women.
You've Been Guffied
In the game against Colorado State the Guffey twins were two of the keys to victory for the Racers. Amber tallied a season-best 36 points, including 21 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. Paige added 14 points for MSU, while going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
The 50 points Amber and Paige combined for was well above the 24 points that the top two scorers for the Rams scored in the outing.
Guffey Grabbing Honors
After recording one point shy of a career-high against Colorado State and 52 points at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational, Amber Guffey was named to the five-member Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational All-Tournament team. The Albany, Ky., native then added to her honors for the week by picking up the Racers' first OVC Player of the Week award for 2008-09.
The Lowe Down
Freshman Kayla Lowe had a good weekend at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational. After recording a career-best three rebounds against No. 21 Florida State, the Pikeville, Ky., native netted five career highs against Colorado State. Lowe earned career bests with her eight points, five rebounds, two field goals made, two three-pointers made, and two free throws.
Lowe had already topped her career bests in the points and rebounding columns before the end of the first half and continued to add to them through the remainder of the game.
Racer Defense
MSU continued to show that they can be a very tough defensive team over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Racers recorded a season-best five team blocks against the Seminoles, while holding FSU to just two.
In the third-place game against CSU, MSU added three more blocks and helped the Rams into 22 turnovers. The defense then stepped up a notch in the second half of play. The Racers held the Rams without a field goal in the final 9:58 of the game, while only allowing them to earn four points at the free-throw line during the span. CSU was in the bonus during the time-frame, but the Racers recorded only two fouls.
Scoring Sensation
For the first time since 1988-89 the MSU women's basketball team recorded at least 100 points in two games in a single season, with their 100-68 win over Bethel and 103-53 win over Mid-Continent. This was the fourth time in school history that the Racers have tallied 100 or more points in a game in a single season. The 1988-89 team accomplished the feat three times, while the 1987-88 and 1981-82 squads did it twice.
The 103 points scored by MSU in the RSEC also set an arena record for the most points scored by a women's team in the building. The old record was 100 set in 2006 against Jacksonville State and tied this season against Bethel.
Making Moves
Seniors Ashley Hayes and Amber Guffey started the 2008-09 campaign as the ninth and 11th best scorers in MSU history. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Hayes leapt up to the No. 6 position on MSU's All-Time Scoring charts and in the first conference game of the season against Eastern Kentucky she moved into the No. 5 spot, with 1,427 points. Hayes will now be aiming for the No. 4 spot held by Jennifer Parker, with 1,680 points.
Guffey also made a move up the scoring charts against the Colonels. She passed Monika Gadson and Diane Oakley for the No. 8 position on the scoring charts and now has 1,359 points. She will need 33 more to take the No. 7 spot from Stephanie Minor (1,392 points).
NCAA Student-Athlete Blog
The NCAA started a new feature on its website for the 2008-09 season. The organization has chosen a student-athlete from each of the sponsored sports at each division to create a blog for the duration of the athlete's season. The NCAA asked the MSU women's basketball team to participate in the blog, and seniors Amber Guffey and Ashley Hayes have been uploading at least one blog entry per week since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.
The Guffey/Hayes Blog can be found as a link on www.GoRacers.com on the right-hand side of the women's basketball page.
Preseason Expectations
After finishing second in the regular season standings and defeating Eastern Illinois to claim the OVC Tournament Championship in 2007-08 the league coaches and sports information directors have picked Murray State to finish second in 2008-09.
“It really doesn't matter to me where we are ranked preseason,” Cross said. “Our league is very competitive and anyone of the teams can come out and perform well enough on any given night to win.”
Seniors Amber Guffey and Ashley Hayes also earned spots on the 2008-09 All-OVC Pre-season team. Hayes also earned the distinction of being picked the OVC Pre-Season Player of the Year.
“I am pleased for Amber and Ashley to earn those honors,” added Cross. “Being that both understand that pre-season awards are nice, but they do not guarantee success.”
Early Signing Period Successful
In his first season as head coach Rob Cross had no problems getting commitments for the 2009-10 campaign. Cross announced the signing of seven student-athletes Wednesday, Nov. 12.
The class has been ranked No. 54 in the nation by Blue Star Basketball and is one of a few non-BCS schools to make the list.
Cross signed:
Kayla Cunningham, F, 6-2, Calloway County (Ky.)
Tessa Elkins, G, 5-6, Lakota West (Ohio)
Jessica Holder, F, 6-2, Marshall County (Ky.)
Aubrey Minix, G, 5-9, Oregon-Davis (Ind.)
Candace Nevels, G, 5-9, Bolingbrook (Ill.)
Mariah Robinson, G, 5-8, Ohio County (Ky.)
Jessica Winfrey, F, 6-0, Marion (Ark.)
The group includes two local standouts (Cunningham, Holder), three recognized by ESPN.com (Elkins, Nevels, Winfrey), a player from the No. 2 ranked high school squad in the nation (Nevels), and five all-state honorees.
Challenging Road Ahead
The road to another trip to the OVC Championship game and to the NCAA Tournament will be tough again this season. MSU has nine non-conference games scheduled, including three against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Those teams include Western Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), and Florida State, which advanced to the second round.
The Racers opened the season with a 78-95 loss to Western Kentucky, Nov. 14. Florida State was the next big test at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational, with MSU losing 50-85.
Upcoming Schedule
The final game of the Racers longest road swing of the season will be at Evansville, Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.
The final two games of the 2008 portion of the year will be contested in the RSEC. The first will be Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Alabama A&M at 7 p.m. The final game of 2008 is a 7 p.m. tip-off against Houston Baptist, Friday, Dec. 19.
Quick Plays
MSU shot 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field during the game to the Colonels 38.6 percent (22-of-57)...MSU also capitalized with 25 points off EKU's 19 turnovers to help with the difference in the score... Ashley Hayes had double digits in the points column before the third media timeout in the first half at 7:57 and ended the game with a team-best 25 points...rookie Jana Roney had career-highs for rebounds (5) and free-throws made (3).
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