Murray State University Athletics
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Racers Take Down Samford In Women's Semifinals
3/7/2008 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
For the second straight season, the Murray State women's basketball team will play for the Ohio Valley Conference championship, as the Racers took care of business with a 68-56 win over Samford in the OVC Championship Tournament semifinals, played in Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Murray State faces Eastern Illinois (19-12), which beat Southeast Missouri 52-40 in the other OVC Tournament semifinal today.
The win was the eighth straight for the Racers (23-7), who also set a school record for single-season wins.
Both teams played a stifling defense early on, forcing their opponents to work hard for the baskets. Savannah Hill put in a layup in transition to give Samford (23-9) its last lead of the game at 8-6 with 13:29 left in the first half, but a 9-0 Murray State run gave the Racers the lead for good. Ashley Hayes hit a three-pointer to start the run and gave MSU the lead for good, followed by a layup by Angela Brown, a jumper by Amber Guffey and a basket by Shaleea Petty vaulted the Racers out to a 15-8 lead with 10:27 left in the first period. That 9-0 run began n 18-2 sweep that pushed the Racers into a double-digit lead, taking a 24-10 lead with 7:13 left in the half, with MSU settling in to a 36-21 halftime advantage.
The Bulldogs (23-9) made the game interesting as they used an 18-7 run to pull within nine points at the 2:19 mark. Samford continued to foul on defense, and two free throws apiece from Petty and Guffey kept the game in hand.
Murray State was led by Guffey, who had 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the floor -- 4-for-7 from three-point range -- to go with a career-high tying seven rebounds and a co-game-high five assists. Hayes chalked up her 10th double-double of the season -- her 20th career double-double-- with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Brown added 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go with six rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots, while Petty put in 10 points to go with a game-high five steals and co-game-high five assists.
Samford was led by Taryn Towns, who had a game-high 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting, going 3-for-4 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the line. She also had a team-high seven rebounds and five assists. Hill had 14 points off the bench, while Chika Okoli had 13 points and five rebounds. Monica Maxwell had six rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Alex Munday had a team-high three steals.
Murray State vs. Eastern Illinois
The Racers take part in their second straight OVC championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m. when Murray State takes on Eastern Illinois in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. The game will be televised regionally on CSS and locally on WQWQ.
Murray State has taken part in three previous championship games, in 1989, 1990 and last season. In 1989, the Racers fell to Tennessee Tech 80-79 in a game in which neither team scored over the last 1:09, and lost to Tech in the 1990 title game, 79-72. Last season, MSU lost to Southeast Missouri 62-60 in a game that has defined the Racers' motivation for this season.
Murray State won't get the chance to get revenge on the Redhawks, as Eastern Illinois halted SEMO's championship dreams with a 52-40 loss in the first semifinal game played today. All-OVC First-Teamer Rachel Galligan was the only Panther to score in double-figures, with 18 points, going 6-for-6 feom the line, to go with five rebounds. Dominique Sims and Jessica Huffman each had a team-high six rebounds, while Ellen Canale had a game-high four assists. SEMO was paced by 12 points and nine rebounds from Sonya Daugherty. EIU held the Redhawks to 11-for-49 shooting from the floor (22.4 percent), including a 1-for-14 night from three-point range (7.1 percent).
In Murray State's regular-season meetings with Eastern Illinois, both games were 62-59 decisions, with the home team winning each game. This will mark MSU's first post-season meeting with the Panthers, and the Racers are 1-0 all-time against EIU on a neitral court, with a 66-51 win in the Koch Petroleum Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Nov. 24, 1999.
If this game is anything like the previous two meetings this season, expect strong defense and a pounding, inside-outside offense from both sides. Murray State has upgraded its defense of late, which has fed into its offense, so it will be up to the Panther defense to neutralize that threat and keep the score low and manageable.
Murray State came into the tournament as the No. 3 seed, while Eastern Illinois took the No. 4 seed, although both teams were involved in a three-way tie in the Ohio Valley Conference standings at 15-5. The four best teams in the conference took part in the semifinals. Now, it's time to determine the best team in the OVC.
ON THE FLOOR
Murray State Racers (23-7)
vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers (19-12)
Ohio Valley Conference Championship Game
Saturday, March 8, 11:00 a.m. || Nashville Municipal Auditorim (9.654)
GAME-DAY INFORMATION
Radio: WNBS (1340 AM / Josh Perigo)
Listen Live: www.GoRacers.com
Video Streaming: www.OVCsports.tv
Live Stats: www.OVCsports.com
Arena Information: Click Here
TV: CSS, WQWQ
PROBABLE STARTERS
Murray State Racers
Ashley Hayes (18.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, .472 FG, .836 FT)
Angela Brown (7.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.5 blocked shots per game, .542 FG)
Amber Guffey (17.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .903 FT, 4.4 assists per game, 2.3 3FGs per game)
Shaleea Petty (10.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.1 assists per game, 2.5 steals per game)
Alaina Lee (11.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .452 FG, 2.1 assists per game)
Eastern Illinois Panthers
Lindsey Kluempers (5.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .447 FG, .488 3FG, .767 FT, 1.8 assists per game)
Rachel Galligan (18.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, .555 FG, .853 FT, 1.4 blocked shots per game)
Ellen Canale (7.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .418 3FG, .746 FT, 2.2 assists per game, 1.0 3FGs per game)
Megan Edwards (6.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, .343 3FG, .818 FT, 1.1 3FGs per game)
Dominique Sims (9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .448 FG, .464 3FG, .776 FT, 2.7 assists per game, 1.4 steals per game)
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