Murray State University Athletics
Racers Set to Host Preseason OVC Favorite Morehead State
12/4/2009 8:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State women's basketball team prepares to battle the 2009-10 Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite Morehead State in the Regional Special Events Center, Saturday, Dec. 5 at 5:15 p.m.
Scouting Morehead State
The Eagles are now 5-3 overall and 1-0 in the OVC after defeating UT Martin in their league opener, Thursday night, 59-42. Morehead is also on a two-game winning streak after earning a win at Longwood (Nov. 29).
The Eagles have had close games for most of the season, with only 36 points being the difference in all eight of their games so far. Morehead has two players averaging double-digit point totals, with Chyna Bozeman leading the team with 17.8 points per outing and Tiffany Hamilton adding 11. Ashar Harris is the team's leading rebounder with 11 boards per game.
Every member of the Eagles is a scoring threat this season, as seven of the 12 team members who have seen the court have shooting percentages over 30 percent. Hamilton leads the team with a .397 (29-of-73) mark, while Bozeman takes most of the team's shots and has a .317 mark (46-of-145).
The one striking difference on the stat sheet for Morehead is three-point shooting. The Eagles are averaging 10.3 treys a game and their opponents are netting just 5.9. Morehead also has an advantage in three-point shooting percentage at 32.7 to 28.8 on the season.
Against the Eagles
A year ago the teams met twice, with both earning a victory on its home court. Morehead claimed an 84-76 overtime victory (Dec. 6), while the Racers claimed a 75-71 win (Feb. 26). Senior Mallory Luckett is one of two players to net more than two points against the Eagles that returned to this year's team. The Lousiville, Ky., native garnered nine points and added 14 rebounds. Sophomore Kayla Lowe, who has missed the last five games due to injury, tallied 10 points against the Eagles.
Top returners for Morehead State are Bozeman, Hamilton and Ashley Martin. Stopping Bozeman will be a key for Murray State, as she tallied 45 points against the Racers a season ago and added 17 rebounds. Hamilton contributed 22 points and four rebounds and Martin had 24 points and 12 rebounds.
The Series
Like the games in 2008-09 the all-time series is closely contended. The Eagles currently hold a slight 36-35 advantage in the series, with the Racers being victorious in seven of the last 10 meetings. Murray State is also 21-13 when playing in Murray.
Vance Stepping Up
Senior Kayla Vance has been stepping up her output in the last few games for the Racers. The Paducah, Ky., native has tallied season highs for points in each of the last two games, including a team-best 10 against Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 3). Vance reached the mark with just three seconds left to play when she hit her career-best second three-pointer, in the final 30 seconds of Thursday's game. She also set career highs for assists (3) against Morgan State (Nov. 28).
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 did just that. MSU was victorious in its first four games of the 2009-10 campaign. It was 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. The four-straight wins is the third-best start to a season in Racer history.
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.
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.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers saw their historic 21-game home winning streak come to an end Dec. 3, with a 54-58 loss to Eastern Kentucky. The streak has been the fourth longest active streak in the nation. MSU's streak dated back to Jan. 31, 2008.
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 will take a week off for finals before starting a five-game road swing at Missouri, Dec. 13. MSU will also face Missouri State (Dec. 16), Southern Illinois (Dec. 19), IUPUI (Dec. 21), and Marshall (Dec. 28), before returning to the RSEC Jan. 4 against UT Martin.
Quick Plays
Senior Jasmyne Thornton earned her first career start against Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 3)... the Racers 22 points in the first half were the lowest number of points scored in the opening stanza since March 22, 2009 when MSU tallied 20 against Ole Miss…it was also the lowest number of points by an opponent since EKU garnered 23 points in the opening half in both meeting with the Racers in the 2008-09 campaign (Dec. 4 & Feb. 28)…MSU is now 16-15 in OVC openers and 11-7 when those games are played in Murray.
Scouting Morehead State
The Eagles are now 5-3 overall and 1-0 in the OVC after defeating UT Martin in their league opener, Thursday night, 59-42. Morehead is also on a two-game winning streak after earning a win at Longwood (Nov. 29).
The Eagles have had close games for most of the season, with only 36 points being the difference in all eight of their games so far. Morehead has two players averaging double-digit point totals, with Chyna Bozeman leading the team with 17.8 points per outing and Tiffany Hamilton adding 11. Ashar Harris is the team's leading rebounder with 11 boards per game.
Every member of the Eagles is a scoring threat this season, as seven of the 12 team members who have seen the court have shooting percentages over 30 percent. Hamilton leads the team with a .397 (29-of-73) mark, while Bozeman takes most of the team's shots and has a .317 mark (46-of-145).
The one striking difference on the stat sheet for Morehead is three-point shooting. The Eagles are averaging 10.3 treys a game and their opponents are netting just 5.9. Morehead also has an advantage in three-point shooting percentage at 32.7 to 28.8 on the season.
Against the Eagles
A year ago the teams met twice, with both earning a victory on its home court. Morehead claimed an 84-76 overtime victory (Dec. 6), while the Racers claimed a 75-71 win (Feb. 26). Senior Mallory Luckett is one of two players to net more than two points against the Eagles that returned to this year's team. The Lousiville, Ky., native garnered nine points and added 14 rebounds. Sophomore Kayla Lowe, who has missed the last five games due to injury, tallied 10 points against the Eagles.
Top returners for Morehead State are Bozeman, Hamilton and Ashley Martin. Stopping Bozeman will be a key for Murray State, as she tallied 45 points against the Racers a season ago and added 17 rebounds. Hamilton contributed 22 points and four rebounds and Martin had 24 points and 12 rebounds.
The Series
Like the games in 2008-09 the all-time series is closely contended. The Eagles currently hold a slight 36-35 advantage in the series, with the Racers being victorious in seven of the last 10 meetings. Murray State is also 21-13 when playing in Murray.
Vance Stepping Up
Senior Kayla Vance has been stepping up her output in the last few games for the Racers. The Paducah, Ky., native has tallied season highs for points in each of the last two games, including a team-best 10 against Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 3). Vance reached the mark with just three seconds left to play when she hit her career-best second three-pointer, in the final 30 seconds of Thursday's game. She also set career highs for assists (3) against Morgan State (Nov. 28).
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 did just that. MSU was victorious in its first four games of the 2009-10 campaign. It was 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. The four-straight wins is the third-best start to a season in Racer history.
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.
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.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers saw their historic 21-game home winning streak come to an end Dec. 3, with a 54-58 loss to Eastern Kentucky. The streak has been the fourth longest active streak in the nation. MSU's streak dated back to Jan. 31, 2008.
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 will take a week off for finals before starting a five-game road swing at Missouri, Dec. 13. MSU will also face Missouri State (Dec. 16), Southern Illinois (Dec. 19), IUPUI (Dec. 21), and Marshall (Dec. 28), before returning to the RSEC Jan. 4 against UT Martin.
Quick Plays
Senior Jasmyne Thornton earned her first career start against Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 3)... the Racers 22 points in the first half were the lowest number of points scored in the opening stanza since March 22, 2009 when MSU tallied 20 against Ole Miss…it was also the lowest number of points by an opponent since EKU garnered 23 points in the opening half in both meeting with the Racers in the 2008-09 campaign (Dec. 4 & Feb. 28)…MSU is now 16-15 in OVC openers and 11-7 when those games are played in Murray.
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