Murray State University Athletics
Racers Headed to Battle Memphis
11/14/2009 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State women's basketball team heads to Memphis, Tenn., to face the University of Memphis, Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Scouting Memphis
The Tigers opened the 2009-10 campaign with a close loss, 74-78, to Indiana at FedEx Forum in Memphis. The Tigers trailed Indiana, 37-43, at the half before out-scoring the Hoosiers, 37-35, in the second half, falling just short of the come-back.
Memphis finished the 2008-09 season with 12-18 record, including a 5-11 mark in Conference USA.
In their opening game the Tigers were led by two underclassmen and a junior. Freshman Nicole Dickson and red-shirt sophomore Brittany Carter each tallied 20 points, while junior Savannah Ellis added 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
With just one game to compare, the Tigers and the Racers have had similar statistical outputs. Both teams scored over 70 points, while shooting similar percentages and pulled down around 35 rebounds. MSU does have an advantage in two areas on the box score, blocks and steals. The Racers knocked away six of their opponents shots, while Memphis recorded only one block. MSU also took the ball away from the opposition more, by a 15-9 mark.
The Series
This will be the 12th meeting between the teams since the series started Feb. 9, 1973. The Tigers have a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series, including the last two games. The last meeting was in Memphis, Dec. 11, 1993, with the Tigers earning a 91-64 win. The last Racer victory was Dec. 13, 1991 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse (75-72).
The Schedule
Like every season, the MSU women's basketball team will have a challenging schedule to start the 2009-10 campaign. This year the Racers will face teams from eight of the 31 conferences in the NCAA Division I ranks. MSU will play three teams from the Missouri Valley (Evansville, Missouri State, Southern Illinois), two from Conference USA (Memphis and Marshall), and one team from the Big 12, Colonial, Mid-Eastern, Sun Belt, Summit League, and Southwestern.
A few highlights of the season include regional rivals and match ups with nationally renowned programs. The Racers will host regional rival and 2009 MVC Tournament Champion Evansville, Nov. 21 in the RSEC. MSU will also renew a rivalry with 2007 MVC Champion Southern Illinois, when the team travels to Carbondale, Ill., Dec. 19. MSU will also face C-USA powers Memphis and Marshall that will certainly test the youthful team. The Racers will also get to battle with Big-12 member and nationally renowned Missouri in Columbia, Mo., Dec. 12, on a regionally televised game.
Youth is the Name of the Game
After a 2008-09 campaign stacked with seniors, youth will be the name of the game for the Racers in 2009-10. MSU returns just three seniors and has no juniors. The rest of the 2009-10 roster consists of four sophomores and eight freshmen. Of the returning seven, only one, Mallory Luckett, was a starter in the 2008-09 season.
With only one other player averaging 10 minutes per game, one might think the outlook is bleak for the 2009-10 edition of the Racers. Questions may abound, but the program has come to expect to compete for championships and is working hard to deserve victory.
Recognizing Recruits
Recruiting is always a challenge for coaches. Did you find the right number of players to add, are they what we need position-wise, are they going to fit into our system? The questions can be endless, but when your first recruiting class as a head coach gets recognized by three different recruiting groups some of those questions may leave your mind - at least for a while.
Soon after the class was announced the honors started to appear. When Blue Star Basketball came out with its list of the top recruiting classes in the nation for 2009, Murray State saw its name among a select group of teams. The Racers 2009-10 freshman class was ranked No. 54 and was one of only a hand full of non-BCS schools on the list.
The class was also recognized by All-Star Girls Report as the best recruiting class in the Ohio Valley Conference, placing 50 spots higher than any other team in the conference.
The final recognition for the group came for the three players coming to Murray from the state of Kentucky. Kayla Cunningham, Jessica Holder and Mariah Robinson were all ranked in the top-10 of BlueChipCamp.com's list of the top-50 girl's basketball players in the State of Kentucky.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers finished the 2008-09 season with a 14-0 mark in the RSEC. The home winning streak dates back to Jan. 31, 2008 and currently stands at 19 games, the longest since Murray State moved to the RSEC. The home winning streak also ties the longest in team history - 19 games from Feb. 28, 1987 to Jan. 28, 1989 (Racer Arena). The last loss that the Racers suffered at home was Jan. 26, 2008. MSU will get its first chance to extend the streak, Nov. 18, against Mid-Continent.
The 19-game home winning streak puts Murray State 5th in the country for the longest current home winning streak. Defending NCAA Division I Champion, Connecticut is at the top of the NCAA Home Court Winning Streak list, with national powers Maryland and Stanford following.
The 14-0 record in the RSEC last year marked the first undefeated home season for the Racers in school history. The previous best record was two losses.
Up Next
MSU returns to the Regional Special Events Center to defend its 19-game home winning streak. The Racers face Mid-Continent in the first home game of the 2009-10 campaign, Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. MSU then hosts Evansville, Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
Quick Plays
The Racers are now 15-24 in season opening games since the 1971-72 season, including a 8-17 mark when opening the season on the road....MSU won its first season opener since the 2006-07 campaign and the first road opener since the 1999-00 season...freshman Mariah Robinson is the first freshman to start since the 2006-07 season...sophomore Rachael Isom, Kristen Kluempers and Kayla Lowe all earned the first starts of their careers against the Bulldogs...Kluempers tallied a career-best 12 points, with her previous best being four...she also added career bests for assists (2), steals (3), and field-goals made (6)...senior Mallory Luckett tallied a career-high seven rebounds.
Scouting Memphis
The Tigers opened the 2009-10 campaign with a close loss, 74-78, to Indiana at FedEx Forum in Memphis. The Tigers trailed Indiana, 37-43, at the half before out-scoring the Hoosiers, 37-35, in the second half, falling just short of the come-back.
Memphis finished the 2008-09 season with 12-18 record, including a 5-11 mark in Conference USA.
In their opening game the Tigers were led by two underclassmen and a junior. Freshman Nicole Dickson and red-shirt sophomore Brittany Carter each tallied 20 points, while junior Savannah Ellis added 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
With just one game to compare, the Tigers and the Racers have had similar statistical outputs. Both teams scored over 70 points, while shooting similar percentages and pulled down around 35 rebounds. MSU does have an advantage in two areas on the box score, blocks and steals. The Racers knocked away six of their opponents shots, while Memphis recorded only one block. MSU also took the ball away from the opposition more, by a 15-9 mark.
The Series
This will be the 12th meeting between the teams since the series started Feb. 9, 1973. The Tigers have a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series, including the last two games. The last meeting was in Memphis, Dec. 11, 1993, with the Tigers earning a 91-64 win. The last Racer victory was Dec. 13, 1991 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse (75-72).
The Schedule
Like every season, the MSU women's basketball team will have a challenging schedule to start the 2009-10 campaign. This year the Racers will face teams from eight of the 31 conferences in the NCAA Division I ranks. MSU will play three teams from the Missouri Valley (Evansville, Missouri State, Southern Illinois), two from Conference USA (Memphis and Marshall), and one team from the Big 12, Colonial, Mid-Eastern, Sun Belt, Summit League, and Southwestern.
A few highlights of the season include regional rivals and match ups with nationally renowned programs. The Racers will host regional rival and 2009 MVC Tournament Champion Evansville, Nov. 21 in the RSEC. MSU will also renew a rivalry with 2007 MVC Champion Southern Illinois, when the team travels to Carbondale, Ill., Dec. 19. MSU will also face C-USA powers Memphis and Marshall that will certainly test the youthful team. The Racers will also get to battle with Big-12 member and nationally renowned Missouri in Columbia, Mo., Dec. 12, on a regionally televised game.
Youth is the Name of the Game
After a 2008-09 campaign stacked with seniors, youth will be the name of the game for the Racers in 2009-10. MSU returns just three seniors and has no juniors. The rest of the 2009-10 roster consists of four sophomores and eight freshmen. Of the returning seven, only one, Mallory Luckett, was a starter in the 2008-09 season.
With only one other player averaging 10 minutes per game, one might think the outlook is bleak for the 2009-10 edition of the Racers. Questions may abound, but the program has come to expect to compete for championships and is working hard to deserve victory.
Recognizing Recruits
Recruiting is always a challenge for coaches. Did you find the right number of players to add, are they what we need position-wise, are they going to fit into our system? The questions can be endless, but when your first recruiting class as a head coach gets recognized by three different recruiting groups some of those questions may leave your mind - at least for a while.
Soon after the class was announced the honors started to appear. When Blue Star Basketball came out with its list of the top recruiting classes in the nation for 2009, Murray State saw its name among a select group of teams. The Racers 2009-10 freshman class was ranked No. 54 and was one of only a hand full of non-BCS schools on the list.
The class was also recognized by All-Star Girls Report as the best recruiting class in the Ohio Valley Conference, placing 50 spots higher than any other team in the conference.
The final recognition for the group came for the three players coming to Murray from the state of Kentucky. Kayla Cunningham, Jessica Holder and Mariah Robinson were all ranked in the top-10 of BlueChipCamp.com's list of the top-50 girl's basketball players in the State of Kentucky.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers finished the 2008-09 season with a 14-0 mark in the RSEC. The home winning streak dates back to Jan. 31, 2008 and currently stands at 19 games, the longest since Murray State moved to the RSEC. The home winning streak also ties the longest in team history - 19 games from Feb. 28, 1987 to Jan. 28, 1989 (Racer Arena). The last loss that the Racers suffered at home was Jan. 26, 2008. MSU will get its first chance to extend the streak, Nov. 18, against Mid-Continent.
The 19-game home winning streak puts Murray State 5th in the country for the longest current home winning streak. Defending NCAA Division I Champion, Connecticut is at the top of the NCAA Home Court Winning Streak list, with national powers Maryland and Stanford following.
The 14-0 record in the RSEC last year marked the first undefeated home season for the Racers in school history. The previous best record was two losses.
Up Next
MSU returns to the Regional Special Events Center to defend its 19-game home winning streak. The Racers face Mid-Continent in the first home game of the 2009-10 campaign, Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. MSU then hosts Evansville, Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
Quick Plays
The Racers are now 15-24 in season opening games since the 1971-72 season, including a 8-17 mark when opening the season on the road....MSU won its first season opener since the 2006-07 campaign and the first road opener since the 1999-00 season...freshman Mariah Robinson is the first freshman to start since the 2006-07 season...sophomore Rachael Isom, Kristen Kluempers and Kayla Lowe all earned the first starts of their careers against the Bulldogs...Kluempers tallied a career-best 12 points, with her previous best being four...she also added career bests for assists (2), steals (3), and field-goals made (6)...senior Mallory Luckett tallied a career-high seven rebounds.
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