Murray State University Athletics
Racers Headed to The Jungle to Face IUPUI
12/20/2009 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State women's basketball team will be playing in its fourth-straight road game and its last game before taking a short break for the holiday's when the team travels to Indianapolis to battle with IUPUI in The Jungle. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CST) Monday, Dec. 21.
Scouting IUPUI
The Jags are currently 1-9 on the season and 0-2 in The Summit League, but have been off since Dec. 13 when they lost to Louisville, 58-88. IUPUI has lost their last three outings, including their opening conference weekend, after they picked up their first win of the season against IIU-Southeast (Dec. 2).
IUPUI has three players that account for 54 percent of the teams shots this season. Jessica Huffman leads the team with 113 shots taken and 43 made. She is also the main three-point shooter with 10-of-40 made. Huffman and Kerah Nelson are both averaging 11 points per game, with Nelson and Briannica Tye making up the rest of the shooting trio. Nelson has a 47.0 shooting percentage, while Tye is at 34.9 percent on the season. Tye is also the next leading point-getter, at 7.9 points per outing. Jan Eichelberger is the teams leading rebounder, with 4.1 boards per game
The Jags are a lower scoring team so far this season, averaging just 52.9 points per outing, while their opponents have combined for 71.4 points per game. As a team IUPUI is shooting 38.1 percent from the field, with only two players averaging less than 30 percent shooting. However their opponents are hitting 42.4 percent of their shots from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.
The Series
This will be just the second meeting between the Racers and the Jags in school history. The only previous meeting resulted in a win for MSU in overtime, 70-66, at the KCRG-TV Hawkeye Classic in Iowa City, Iowa. The game was the second game of the 2002-03 campaign and the first win of the season for the Racers.
Home Away From Home
Several of the members of the 2009-10 women's basketball team will be heading back close to home for the next Racer game. Sophomores Mallory Schwab and Kristen Kluempers and assistant coach Ashley Hayes are all from around the Indianapolis area. It will be the first time playing or coaching close to their local high schools for all three.
Senior Leadership
All three of MSU's seniors have been trying to lead by example and Jasmyne Thornton has seemed to find a new level recently. The LaGrange, Ga., native has tallied career highs in the points and rebounding columns for the past two games. At Southern Illinois she tallied a double-digit point total for the first time in her career and was two rebounds shy of a double-double, with 12 points and eight rebounds. Against the Salukis she also recorded her first career three-pointer on her first career attempt. The forward has also recently set career highs for steals, assists and field goals made.
Vance Stepping Up
Senior Kayla Vance has been stepping up her output in the last few games for the Racers and earned her first career start against Morehead State. The Paducah, Ky., native has tallied season highs for points in three of the last four games, including a career-best 22 against Southern Illinois (Dec. 19). Vance has been the Racers leading scorer in four of the last five outings and one of only four members of the team to garner double digits in those three games.
Elkins Finding Her Spot
Freshman Tessa Elkins has been finding where she fits on the team for the last few games. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has tallied career-highs in the points column in the last two games. She tallied six against Missouri and added nine against Missouri State. The guard has also tallied career-best marks for rebounds (5 at Mizzou), field-goals made (3 at Missouri State), assists (2 at Missouri State) and free throws (2 at Mizzou and Missouri State).
National Recognition
Murray State might not have the best overall record on the year, but the team is currently ranked in the top-100 of two national statistical categories and the team has three players ranked in the top-110 in five individual categories.
The Racers top ranking is in three-point field goal defense, with a No. 29 spot (25.6). Murray State is also No. 67 in three-point field-goal made per game (6.4).
Mallory Luckett leads the team with three individual top-100 rankings. The Louisville, Ky., native is in the No. 41 spot for assists (5.2), No. 85 in assist/turnover ratio (1.68) and No. 99 in rebound (8.3). Freshman Jessica Holder is ranked 108th in blocked shots (1.4), while Mariah Robinson is 104th in steals per game (2.4).
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.
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. (Montgomery 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.
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.
Up Next
The Racers will take a short break for the holidays before ending their five-game road trip at Marshall, Dec. 29. MSU will then have a few days off before returning to action in the RSEC, Jan. 4 to face Ohio Valley Conference foe, UT Martin.
Quick Plays
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Scouting IUPUI
The Jags are currently 1-9 on the season and 0-2 in The Summit League, but have been off since Dec. 13 when they lost to Louisville, 58-88. IUPUI has lost their last three outings, including their opening conference weekend, after they picked up their first win of the season against IIU-Southeast (Dec. 2).
IUPUI has three players that account for 54 percent of the teams shots this season. Jessica Huffman leads the team with 113 shots taken and 43 made. She is also the main three-point shooter with 10-of-40 made. Huffman and Kerah Nelson are both averaging 11 points per game, with Nelson and Briannica Tye making up the rest of the shooting trio. Nelson has a 47.0 shooting percentage, while Tye is at 34.9 percent on the season. Tye is also the next leading point-getter, at 7.9 points per outing. Jan Eichelberger is the teams leading rebounder, with 4.1 boards per game
The Jags are a lower scoring team so far this season, averaging just 52.9 points per outing, while their opponents have combined for 71.4 points per game. As a team IUPUI is shooting 38.1 percent from the field, with only two players averaging less than 30 percent shooting. However their opponents are hitting 42.4 percent of their shots from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.
The Series
This will be just the second meeting between the Racers and the Jags in school history. The only previous meeting resulted in a win for MSU in overtime, 70-66, at the KCRG-TV Hawkeye Classic in Iowa City, Iowa. The game was the second game of the 2002-03 campaign and the first win of the season for the Racers.
Home Away From Home
Several of the members of the 2009-10 women's basketball team will be heading back close to home for the next Racer game. Sophomores Mallory Schwab and Kristen Kluempers and assistant coach Ashley Hayes are all from around the Indianapolis area. It will be the first time playing or coaching close to their local high schools for all three.
Senior Leadership
All three of MSU's seniors have been trying to lead by example and Jasmyne Thornton has seemed to find a new level recently. The LaGrange, Ga., native has tallied career highs in the points and rebounding columns for the past two games. At Southern Illinois she tallied a double-digit point total for the first time in her career and was two rebounds shy of a double-double, with 12 points and eight rebounds. Against the Salukis she also recorded her first career three-pointer on her first career attempt. The forward has also recently set career highs for steals, assists and field goals made.
Vance Stepping Up
Senior Kayla Vance has been stepping up her output in the last few games for the Racers and earned her first career start against Morehead State. The Paducah, Ky., native has tallied season highs for points in three of the last four games, including a career-best 22 against Southern Illinois (Dec. 19). Vance has been the Racers leading scorer in four of the last five outings and one of only four members of the team to garner double digits in those three games.
Elkins Finding Her Spot
Freshman Tessa Elkins has been finding where she fits on the team for the last few games. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has tallied career-highs in the points column in the last two games. She tallied six against Missouri and added nine against Missouri State. The guard has also tallied career-best marks for rebounds (5 at Mizzou), field-goals made (3 at Missouri State), assists (2 at Missouri State) and free throws (2 at Mizzou and Missouri State).
National Recognition
Murray State might not have the best overall record on the year, but the team is currently ranked in the top-100 of two national statistical categories and the team has three players ranked in the top-110 in five individual categories.
The Racers top ranking is in three-point field goal defense, with a No. 29 spot (25.6). Murray State is also No. 67 in three-point field-goal made per game (6.4).
Mallory Luckett leads the team with three individual top-100 rankings. The Louisville, Ky., native is in the No. 41 spot for assists (5.2), No. 85 in assist/turnover ratio (1.68) and No. 99 in rebound (8.3). Freshman Jessica Holder is ranked 108th in blocked shots (1.4), while Mariah Robinson is 104th in steals per game (2.4).
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.
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. (Montgomery 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.
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.
Up Next
The Racers will take a short break for the holidays before ending their five-game road trip at Marshall, Dec. 29. MSU will then have a few days off before returning to action in the RSEC, Jan. 4 to face Ohio Valley Conference foe, UT Martin.
Quick Plays
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