Murray State University Athletics
Racers Spending Holidays in Atlanta for GSU Thanksgiving Tournament
11/24/2009 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State women's basketball team will be spending the holiday weekend in Atlanta, Ga., to participate in the inaugural Georgia State Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 27-28. The Racers (4-0) will face the host Panthers, Friday, Nov. 27 at 1 p.m. (CST) and then will play either Troy or Morgan State, Saturday, Nov. 28 at 1 or 3 p.m. (CST) depending on the outcome of Friday's match ups.
Scouting Georgia State
The Panthers have only played two games so far in the 2009-10 campaign and have a 1-1 record. GSU defeated Kennesaw State and fell to No. 12 Florida State. The Panthers are averaging 65 points per game, with three players averaging double-digit point totals. Danyiell McKeller is the team's leading scorer with 21.5 points per game and a .514 shooting percentage. Chan Harris and Angelique Burtts also average more than 10 points per game, with Harris leading the way on the board with 9.5 rebounds per game. Both are also strong shooters, with Harris adding a .526 field-goal percentage and Burtts a .625 mark.
As a team, GSU is shooting 50 percent from the field (54-of-108), but has only attempted 15 shots from beyond the three-point line and made just four (26.7%). Brittany Graham has taken and made the majority of the trey's for the Panthers, with three made in 10 attempts. GSU's opponents also don't seem to be having much trouble shooting, with a 42.3 percent field-goal percentage and a 35.3 percent mark from three-point range.
The Series
This will be just the fourth meeting between Murray State and GSU in the all-time series. The previous three meetings all came in a three year span from 1984-86 and were all on neutral courts. The Racers earned the last victory, Jan. 2, 1986, 77-76.
Scouting Morgan State
The Bears head into this weekends tournament with a 2-2 record after participating in the Seaton Hall Classic. Morgan State advanced to the championship game with a win over the host Pirates, but fell to Virginia Commonwealth in double overtime, 75-68.
The Bears have three players averaging over 10 points per game, with Corin Adams leading the team with 21.3 points per game. Adams is shooting 40 percent (26-of-65) from the field, 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from three-point range and 70 percent (21-of-30) from the charity stripe. She is also contributing three rebounds per game and has tallied 10 assists and 11 steals. Georgien Williams is next on the team with 11 points per game and is the teams leading rebounder (8.5/game). Williams is garnering a 59.4 shooting percentage (19-of-32). Erin Hawkins is the final Bear averaging double-digits, with 10.3 points per game. She is also adding three rebounds per game and has recorded 13 assists and six steals.
Morgan State is evenly balanced with their opponents when it comes to shooting percentages (35.5-37.6), but has larger deficits or advantages in the rebounding and turnover columns. The Bears are being out-rebounded by almost six boards per game (47.0-41.2), but have an advantage by 5.3 in the turnover column (17.5-22.8). Morgan State is also snagging 10.8 of their opponents turnovers, while only having 6.3 balls stolen from them a game.
The Series
Murray State currently owns a 2-0 record in the all-time series with the Bears, with all meetings coming on neutral courts. The Racers garnered a 66-42 win in the last meeting, Nov. 22, 2003.
Scouting Troy
The Trojans are currently 1-1 and will face Longwood, Tuesday, Nov. 24 before heading to Atlanta for the tournament. Troy has a spread out scoring system, with four of the nine players who have seen action averaging at least 10 points per game. Brittnie Davis is currently the team's leader with 12, whiel Alyce Shearing adds 11, Sophie Kleeman contributes 10.5 and Donette McNair tallied 10 and a team-best 11 rebounds per game.
The Trojans have had good luck scoring this season, with a team field-goal percentage of 41.3 percent. All but two of the nine players have averages over 40 percent, with four over 50 percent. Shearing leads the way with a 52.9 field-goal percentage and a .800 (4-of-5) three-point field-goal percentage. As a team Troy has made half of their three-point shots as well (15-of-30).
Troy is not just good at making three's, but defending them as well. Its opponents have made just five of 34 attempted for a 14.7 percentage.
The Series
Murray State and Troy have met on two previous occasions, with the Trojans earning both victories. This could be the first meeting on a neutral court. Troy earned a 68-60 victory in the last meeting, Dec. 14, 2003 in Troy, Ala.
Record Setting Performance
The Racers had a record setting game against Mid Continent, Nov. 18. Besides earning the win that moved their home-court winning streak to a school-record 20 games, the team also set a new record for steals in a game. MSU combined for 26 steals, one better than the previous record set against Arkansas State, Feb. 2, 1984.
The team also combined to tally 14 trey's, good for the No. 4 spot on the MSU charts. The team's eight blocks were also the most since Jan. 22, 2005 and the eighth most in a single game.
Having a Good Start
Every team wants to start out the season on a winning streak, and the Racers are doing just that. MSU has been victorious in its first four games of the 2009-10 campaign. That is the best start to a season since the 1988-89 campaign when the Racers started out by winning their first eight contests, which is the school record for wins to start the year.
Adding Height For 2010-11
The Racers signed two student-athletes during the early signing period to the 2010-11 roster. Chanyere Hosey, a 6-3 forward from Bolingbrook, Ill., and Mary Jehlik, a 6-0, forward/center from Mount Sterling, Ky. (Mongomery County).
Hosey is already familiar with Murray State athletics, as her sister is a senior on the Racers Track and Field team and her cousin Candace Nevels is a freshman on this year's women's basketball squad. Hosey was forced to sit on the sidelines due to injury during the 2008-09 season when the Raiders claimed the 4A Illinois State title. Hosey has also been a standout on the Bolingbrook track and field and cross country teams as a prep.
Jehlik is no stranger to participating in the state tournament, as she has been on the varsity roster at Montgomery High School for the past four seasons. The Indians have advanced to the Kentucky State High School Athletic Association Elite Eight for the past four seasons, earning 40th District and 10th Regional championships along the way. Jehlik has earned All-10th Region honors for the past two seasons and was named the 10th Region MVP by LaGrange Insurance in 2007-08.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers finished the 2008-09 season with a 14-0 mark in the RSEC and extended that streak with their first home game of the 2009-10 season. The home winning streak dates back to Jan. 31, 2008 and currently stands at 20 games, the longest is school history. The last loss that the Racers suffered at home was Jan. 26, 2008.
The 20-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.
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.
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. MSU will 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.
Up Next
The Racers return home for the final two home games of the 2009 portion of the schedule and the start of the Ohio Valley Conference season. Murray State hosts Eastern Kentucky, Thursday, Dec. 3 at the RSEC starting at 8:30 p.m. after the men's ESPNU game. The Racers then have a day's rest before battling with Morehead State, Saturday, Dec. 5 at 5:15 p.m.
Scouting Georgia State
The Panthers have only played two games so far in the 2009-10 campaign and have a 1-1 record. GSU defeated Kennesaw State and fell to No. 12 Florida State. The Panthers are averaging 65 points per game, with three players averaging double-digit point totals. Danyiell McKeller is the team's leading scorer with 21.5 points per game and a .514 shooting percentage. Chan Harris and Angelique Burtts also average more than 10 points per game, with Harris leading the way on the board with 9.5 rebounds per game. Both are also strong shooters, with Harris adding a .526 field-goal percentage and Burtts a .625 mark.
As a team, GSU is shooting 50 percent from the field (54-of-108), but has only attempted 15 shots from beyond the three-point line and made just four (26.7%). Brittany Graham has taken and made the majority of the trey's for the Panthers, with three made in 10 attempts. GSU's opponents also don't seem to be having much trouble shooting, with a 42.3 percent field-goal percentage and a 35.3 percent mark from three-point range.
The Series
This will be just the fourth meeting between Murray State and GSU in the all-time series. The previous three meetings all came in a three year span from 1984-86 and were all on neutral courts. The Racers earned the last victory, Jan. 2, 1986, 77-76.
Scouting Morgan State
The Bears head into this weekends tournament with a 2-2 record after participating in the Seaton Hall Classic. Morgan State advanced to the championship game with a win over the host Pirates, but fell to Virginia Commonwealth in double overtime, 75-68.
The Bears have three players averaging over 10 points per game, with Corin Adams leading the team with 21.3 points per game. Adams is shooting 40 percent (26-of-65) from the field, 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from three-point range and 70 percent (21-of-30) from the charity stripe. She is also contributing three rebounds per game and has tallied 10 assists and 11 steals. Georgien Williams is next on the team with 11 points per game and is the teams leading rebounder (8.5/game). Williams is garnering a 59.4 shooting percentage (19-of-32). Erin Hawkins is the final Bear averaging double-digits, with 10.3 points per game. She is also adding three rebounds per game and has recorded 13 assists and six steals.
Morgan State is evenly balanced with their opponents when it comes to shooting percentages (35.5-37.6), but has larger deficits or advantages in the rebounding and turnover columns. The Bears are being out-rebounded by almost six boards per game (47.0-41.2), but have an advantage by 5.3 in the turnover column (17.5-22.8). Morgan State is also snagging 10.8 of their opponents turnovers, while only having 6.3 balls stolen from them a game.
The Series
Murray State currently owns a 2-0 record in the all-time series with the Bears, with all meetings coming on neutral courts. The Racers garnered a 66-42 win in the last meeting, Nov. 22, 2003.
Scouting Troy
The Trojans are currently 1-1 and will face Longwood, Tuesday, Nov. 24 before heading to Atlanta for the tournament. Troy has a spread out scoring system, with four of the nine players who have seen action averaging at least 10 points per game. Brittnie Davis is currently the team's leader with 12, whiel Alyce Shearing adds 11, Sophie Kleeman contributes 10.5 and Donette McNair tallied 10 and a team-best 11 rebounds per game.
The Trojans have had good luck scoring this season, with a team field-goal percentage of 41.3 percent. All but two of the nine players have averages over 40 percent, with four over 50 percent. Shearing leads the way with a 52.9 field-goal percentage and a .800 (4-of-5) three-point field-goal percentage. As a team Troy has made half of their three-point shots as well (15-of-30).
Troy is not just good at making three's, but defending them as well. Its opponents have made just five of 34 attempted for a 14.7 percentage.
The Series
Murray State and Troy have met on two previous occasions, with the Trojans earning both victories. This could be the first meeting on a neutral court. Troy earned a 68-60 victory in the last meeting, Dec. 14, 2003 in Troy, Ala.
Record Setting Performance
The Racers had a record setting game against Mid Continent, Nov. 18. Besides earning the win that moved their home-court winning streak to a school-record 20 games, the team also set a new record for steals in a game. MSU combined for 26 steals, one better than the previous record set against Arkansas State, Feb. 2, 1984.
The team also combined to tally 14 trey's, good for the No. 4 spot on the MSU charts. The team's eight blocks were also the most since Jan. 22, 2005 and the eighth most in a single game.
Having a Good Start
Every team wants to start out the season on a winning streak, and the Racers are doing just that. MSU has been victorious in its first four games of the 2009-10 campaign. That is the best start to a season since the 1988-89 campaign when the Racers started out by winning their first eight contests, which is the school record for wins to start the year.
Adding Height For 2010-11
The Racers signed two student-athletes during the early signing period to the 2010-11 roster. Chanyere Hosey, a 6-3 forward from Bolingbrook, Ill., and Mary Jehlik, a 6-0, forward/center from Mount Sterling, Ky. (Mongomery County).
Hosey is already familiar with Murray State athletics, as her sister is a senior on the Racers Track and Field team and her cousin Candace Nevels is a freshman on this year's women's basketball squad. Hosey was forced to sit on the sidelines due to injury during the 2008-09 season when the Raiders claimed the 4A Illinois State title. Hosey has also been a standout on the Bolingbrook track and field and cross country teams as a prep.
Jehlik is no stranger to participating in the state tournament, as she has been on the varsity roster at Montgomery High School for the past four seasons. The Indians have advanced to the Kentucky State High School Athletic Association Elite Eight for the past four seasons, earning 40th District and 10th Regional championships along the way. Jehlik has earned All-10th Region honors for the past two seasons and was named the 10th Region MVP by LaGrange Insurance in 2007-08.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers finished the 2008-09 season with a 14-0 mark in the RSEC and extended that streak with their first home game of the 2009-10 season. The home winning streak dates back to Jan. 31, 2008 and currently stands at 20 games, the longest is school history. The last loss that the Racers suffered at home was Jan. 26, 2008.
The 20-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.
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.
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. MSU will 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.
Up Next
The Racers return home for the final two home games of the 2009 portion of the schedule and the start of the Ohio Valley Conference season. Murray State hosts Eastern Kentucky, Thursday, Dec. 3 at the RSEC starting at 8:30 p.m. after the men's ESPNU game. The Racers then have a day's rest before battling with Morehead State, Saturday, Dec. 5 at 5:15 p.m.
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