Murray State University Athletics
Women's Basketball To Visit Tennessee State
2/13/2008 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
When the Murray State women's basketball team hosted Tennessee State on Jan. 5, the Racers' 11-game home win streak was on the line against one of the top teams in the Ohio Valley Conference. MSU lost the game 90-85 in overtime, but there was more to the game than the score.
Murray State shot 27.6 percent (8-for-29) from the floor in the first half, trailing 41-24 at intermission. The Lady Tigers got out to as much as a 20-point lead twice, the latest being a 57-37 advantage with 13:20 left in regulation. That's when the Racers made one of their biggest comebacks ever.
Over the next 10:25, Murray State was able to erase that entire 20-point deficit, outscoring TSU 35-15 and going 3-for-9 from the field before the Lady Tigers could even attempt its next shot. In that stretch, the Racers went 10-for-21 while Tennessee State went 6-for-10, and had 14 of its 22 second-half rebounds to go with three steals.
The Racers took an 80-77 lead when Amber Guffey hit a layup with 27 seconds left in regulation, but TSU's Tiffany Jackson made a layup with 18 seconds left to pull the Lady Tigers to within one. Gerraca Matthews made one of two free-throw attempts to make it a two-point ball game, but TSU's Obiageli Okafor hit a basket with three seconds remaining to force overtime. In the extra period, MSU was 1-for-8 from the field, while the Lady Tigers made three baskets to gain the win, but that 20-point comeback has paid off big-time in team confidence for the Racers.
Now, Murray State (16-7, 10-5 OVC) hopes to secure its position among the top four in the OVC standings, now in fourth place, 1-1/2 games behind third-place Samford and 2-1/2 games behind OVC co-leaders Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois, who play each other on Thursday. The Racers are as far from first place as they are from fifth-place Tennessee State (11-14, 8-8 OVC), and a win would not only widen the gap between fourth and fifth place; it would also clinch a berth into the OVC Championship Tournament for Murray State.
The teams tip it off in TSU's Gentry Center on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The Racers have won seven of the nine games played since the loss to Tennessee State -- 4-1 in road games during that stretch -- while TSU has gone 5-7, 3-4 in home contests. MSU has clinched at least a .500 record in OVC road games, now at 5-3 in those games. In Murray State's three OVC losses on the road, the scoring margin was a combined eight points, with a two-point loss at Samford on Dec. 20 and three-point losses at Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky.
One key to the game will be Murray State's ability to hold onto the ball. In conference play only, Murray State leads the league with 12.9 turnovers committed, while Tennessee State has forced a conference-best 21.6 turnovers, including an OVC-best 10.8 steals per game.
Another key may lie in the Racers' ability to get to the line. MSU's 82.3-percent rate from the free-throw line -- third in the nation -- is the best in the league, and Tennessee State's 20 fouls per contest will figure into that.
The game features four of the OVC's tops six scorers, including Murray State's Amber Guffey (1st, 18.9 points per game) and Ashley Hayes (3rd, 18.3 ppg) and Tennessee State's Kendra Papling (5th, 16.8 ppg) and Obiageli Okafor (6th, 16.7). It also features the league's top two theft artists, with TSU's Appling leading the conference with 2.72 steals per game and MSU's Shaleea Petty in second at 2.57 steals per game.
Coming down to the last three weekends of play, teams are battling for position. The Gentry Center at Tennessee State is a difficult place for a visiting team to play, and the Racers will need to be well prepared and bring their talents when they toss it up Thursday night.
RACER GAME CENTRAL
Murray State Racers (16-7, 10-5 OVC)
at Tennessee State Lady Tigers (11-14, 8-8 OVC)
Thursday, Feb. 14, 5:30 p.m. || Gentry Center (10,600), Nashville, Tenn.
GAME-DAY INFORMATION
Radio: WNBS (1340 AM / Josh Perigo)
Listen Live: www.GoRacers.com
Video Streaming: www.OVCsports.tv
Game Notes: Click Here
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)
Tennessee State (8-8 / 11-14)
Jacksonville 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 (2-13 / 5-19)
UT Martin (2-13 / 5-20)
THURSDAY'S OVC GAMES (all times are Central Time)
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.
MARQUEE MATCH-UPS
Three of Thursday's OVC women's games feature teams who "touch" each other in the standings: No. 4 Murray State at No. 5 Tennessee State, No. 2 Eastern Illinois at No. 1 Southeast Missouri and No. 7 Eastern Kentucky at No. 6 Jacksonville State. Eastern Illinois (13-3) and SEMO (12-2) are in a virtual tie for first place, separated by percentage points atop the standings. The other two games -- No. 8 Morehead State at No. 3 Samford and No. 11 UT Martin at No. 9 Tennessee Tech -- are also important for their impact on the standings. The OVC Championship Tournament takes the top eight teams in the standings.
THE SERIES
Begun with an 87-67 Murray State win on Nov. 26, 1985, in MSU's Hawaiian Tropic Classic, the series has seen Murray State take a 26-17 advantage. The Racers have won 13 of the last 16 meetings with TSU and four of the last five, although the Lady Tigers won the last meeting earlier this season. Average scoring in the series is MSU 73.6, TSU 65.7. The Racers are 11-10 in games played in Nashville, and have won the last two meetings in the Gentry Center. Average scoring in games played in Nashville has been MSU 70.2, TSU 66.9.
This season, Murray State is 7-5 on the road, 5-3 in OVC play, while Tennesee State is 7-6 at home, 4-4 in OVC play.
THE COACHES
Murray State head coach Jody Adams is 16-7 in her first season with the Racers. She is 0-1 against Tennessee State, and this is her first visit to the Gentry Center. TSU head coach Tracee Wells is 29-79 in her fourth season with the Lady Tigers. She is 2-5 against Murray State, 1-2 against the Racers in Nashville.
HOME RUN
After Thursday's game, Murray State plays three of its last four regular-season games at home: Eastern Illinois (Feb. 16), Samford (Feb. 23) and UT Martin (March 1). The sole remaining road trip will be at Tennessee Tech on Feb. 28.
NO LOVE ON VALENTINE'S DAY
Historically, the Murray State women's basketball team has found no love in games played on Feb. 14. The Racers are 4-8 in those games, with the last Valentine's win coming in 1998 at Southeast Missouri. Maybe home is where the heart is. Murray State has only played in two games at home on Valentine's Day: a 47-45 loss to Southern Illinois in 1974 and a 67-30 win over Evansville in 1976.
