Murray State University Athletics
The Week Ahead With Women's Basketball
2/11/2008 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
THE WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
Head coach Jody Adams
Opening statement
We had a tough weekend. We got really banged up, but I was glad to see everybody up and around for practice this morning.
We were at Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, up by seven in the last five minutes of the game. Not being able to pull that one out was a lesson for us. We looked at the game film as a team the next morning, and I thought we didn't play to win the game, but we played not to lose the lead. You can't do that. That's something that we're having to teach this team: how to finish a game and finish it strong. You want to go out playing hard instead of trying to save something. I thought we were trying to save something, and it was more on the defensive end. We tightened up to our man, there wasn't much helpside at all, and they broke us down. When we are gutsy, when we're in passing lanes, when we dig down and have great helpside and we take gambles, I think we're a much better defensive team. I thought we were very, very tight -- almost to the point where we froze in the last five minutes of the game. It's tough losing by three. It's always hard to win away from home, but when you're playing a great offensive team, and you're both great offensive teams, someone has to bear down on the other end. We did for a while -- we did our job for a while, but we did not finish the job in that game.
Then, we turned around and played an earlier game at Morehead, a 1:00 game. I thought that -- no doubt by our actions -- we took the defensive game seriously. We got after a team that has great outside scoring as well as an impact in the paint. We took the lead right off the bat. Our team knows it all starts with the defense; our defense ignites our offense. Towards the end of the game, they began to close the gap by knocking down some threes, and they had some big players step up and make big shots. At the end of the game, the proudest thing I saw was a team that did not play to save that lead. They played to win the ball game. We were still running and jumping at the end of the game. We probably would have won by seven if we had continued to jump and run out, but at the end, I told them to hold up, and they knocked down a three at the end. I was proud to see the change. I believe they understood what we were talking about, playing just to hold onto the lead instead of playing to win the game.
We split, and that being a tough road series, I'm glad that we got away with one.
On Shaleea Petty's condition after colliding with Ashley Hayes in the second half at Morehead State:
She does not have a concussion; she does have a headache. Her vision is good, she's not sick to her stomach, but she does have a headache. Both she and "Tennessee" (Hayes) -- watching the replay of it -- they are going as hard as they could go to get that ball, and they hit head-on. "Tennessee" actually hit her with her mouth and the side of her face right across Lee-Lee's (Petty's) nose. They both got a little banged up. "Tennessee" got cut here (indicating the side of her face), and she didn't need any stitches, but it was hard to stop the blood. I couldn't get her right back in. I didn't sub "Tennessee" in (soon after the accident, Hayes went back into the game). She subbed herself in. That's a good thing to see. It's pretty gutsy. Lee-Lee was knocked out, literally. I did not let her practice today because she still had a little bit of a headache. They're good to go. Alaina Lee hurt her elbow in the Eastern Kentucky game. She just hyperextended it, pulled a muscle. That's what the tape on her elbow was for. They were all good to go this morning.
This is just the type of toughness we've been talking about: fighting injuries or the nagging things at the end of the season; that we're going to have to look beyond that.
On the way the team finished out the Morehead State game:
I thought that Mallory Luckett did a great job defensively for us. She;s the type of kind who's going to fight. She's not scared; she's not going to play tight. She's going to get after the ball-handler, step in and take a charge when you need it, she's going to fight for a rebound -- she's just going to do the little things for you, and that's all she has to do for this team. She steps in for Alaina Lee when Alaina needs a break or Amber, or whoever it is among the guard corps, and we need that. I thought Mallory did a very nice job. I thought J.J. (Jessica Jackson) did a nice job in the Eastern Kentucky game. Pam Bell probably had her best two games. In the time that she's called on, she stepped in and made an impact. She played 12 minutes in the Eastern Kentucky game, and she was far better than anybody else. She moved her feet, she got right in there, and she wasn't scared to try to get a stop. Those are bright spots. Those are people who we're going to have to call on late in the season, and we need them to be there for us.
On Angela Brown's play last week:
At Eastern Kentucky, she had a quick foul called on her, and she became timid, and she wants to take a step back, and that's not what she needs to do. She needs to get her tail moving and get her feet moving, be more aggressive than passive. She begins to think, "Don't foul" instead of "I need to be in the right position." I think she got taken out of the game mentally.At Morehead, it was different. She was in it. She wanted the ball at the end of the game when we needed big baskets. When we had to have somebody get a great stop, she did a great job on their center (Brittany Pittman), and we're talking about similar heights, similar ability in the paint.
Angela knows what she can do, and now, it's just a mental thing for her. She knows she's needed down the stretch for this team. She's got to be able to change her mentality when she gets in quick foul trouble or doesn't make her first basket. She's got to block that out, be tough, be strong, still want the ball and say, "I am a defensive stopper in the paint and a rebounder." It's just her mentality that needed to change in that game.
On Murray State's shooting at Morehead State:
It's just about peaks and valleys. We went on a shooting spurt in the first half, and they went on one late. The biggest thing is that we were able to hold them off late in the game. I think that's very typical of tournament play. You want to be able to hold people off late. I'm looking forward to the mentality changing and understanding how to win.
About the upcoming schedule:
It's going to be tough to play Tennessee State at home. I know they had a couple of tough losses lately, with Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. so I know they're eager and they want a win to keep in the race among the top eight. Going into that hostile atmosphere, it's a tough place to play. I'm going to have to take in there a very tough team, a very focused team to win on the road. Eastern Illinois is trying to finish out big; they're trying to pass SEMO and win the regular season outright. Both teams have hunger. Hopefully, we will have the hunger and the understanding that's important for us to win these games. Eastern Illinois is very tough. They are a well-balanced team, probably the most balanced team in our league, inside and out. We'll have to play well.
On the last meeting with Tennessee State, a 90-85 overtime loss in Murray:
It was the way we started the game. It was horrible: very flat, no emotion, no energy, not indicative of how our coaching staff coaches. We talk about "Racer basketball," and our identity. That was not our identity. But then, we came back and rattled off 57 points in the second half. That's what you score in a ball game, in a championship game. It was a great battle, with great defense on both ends. That's not my style, and I think our team knows that. When you're tired in the month of February, are you going to be able to bring it? Are your leaders able to lead? We have a veteran team. We have no excuses. We have no excuses not to be ready. e have no excuses not to understand what we're going through at this point in the second round of OVC play. I put a lot on our contributors' shoulders. It's time to step up. Everybody's got to step up and be their best. Hopefully, we'll see a different game at Tennessee State, one where we'll have much better defense and more attack on the offensive end. I thought we were passive on both ends.
HOMEWARD BOUND
After Thursday's game at Tennessee State, the Racers will close out their regular-season schedule with three of their last four games at home. Murray State hosts Eastern Illinois on Saturday, then hosts Samford on Saturday, Feb. 23. MSU visits Tennessee Tech on Feb. 28, then closes out the season at home against UT Martin on March 1.
Since beginning play in the Regional Special Events Center (1998-99 season), the Racers are 26-13 (.667) at home in February. MSU's upcoming game against UT Martin will be the women's team's first-ever home game in the RSEC in the month of March, and its first home game in March since March 5, 1983.
ALL-SMART TEAM
Amber Guffey and Paige Guffey earned positions on the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District 4 teams. Amber was named to the All-District Second Team -- the highest-ranked player on that team -- while Paige earned a spot on the All-District Third Team.
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UPDATED OVC STANDINGS (OVC / All)
Southeast Missouri (12-2 / 17-6)
Eastern Illinois (13-3 / 14-10)
Samford (11-3 / 18-6)
MURRAY STATE (10-5 / 16-7)
Jacksonville State (7-8 / 10-14)
Tennessee State (7-8 / 10-14)
Eastern Kentucky (6-7 / 11-9)
Morehead State (5-9 / 7-15)
Tennessee Tech (5-10 / 6-19)
Austin Peay (2-12 / 5-18)
UT Martin (2-13 / 5-20)
UPCOMING OVC GAMES (all times are Central Time)
Monday, Feb. 11
Austin Peay at Tennessee State, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 14
MURRAY STATE at Tennessee State, 5:30 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Southeast Missouri, 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville State, 5:30 p.m.
Morehead State at Samford, 5:30 p.m.
UT Martin at Tennessee Tech, 5:30 p.m.
Austin Peay is idle.
Saturday, Feb. 16
Eastern Illinois at MURRAY STATE, 5:30 p.m.
Morehead State at Jacksonville State, 2:00 p.m.
Eastern Kentucky at Samford, 4:00 p.m.
Southeast Missouri at UT Martin, 4:00 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay, 5:15 p.m.
Tennessee State is idle.
