Murray State University Athletics
Racers Return to RSEC To Defend Home Winning Streak
2/11/2009 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team returns to the confines of the Regional Special Events Center to play the first of five remaining home games during the 2008-09 regular season. The Racers will play five of the last seven regular season games at home this season and may add a sixth with a home game for the first round of the OVC Tournament.
About Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles head to Murray with a two-game winning streak after earning league victories at home over Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State last week. TTU is now 6-18 overall and 4-9 in OVC action.
While they have earned wins in their last two games at home, the Golden Eagles have struggled on the road this season. TTU is 5-7 at home, but only has a 1-11 record when outside of Cookeville, Tenn.
Like most teams in the conference the Golden Eagles have a “dynamic duo” that leads the team. TTU's duo is Blair Bowens and Meagan Lyons. Bowens averages 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while Lyons adds 10.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game during conference action. Bowens is an all-around threat with the ball as she shoots 39.6 percent from the field, 44.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.6 percent from the free-throw line. Lyons is among three players shooting over 40 percent from the field, with her 42.1 percent mark. Tacarra Hayes adds a 40 percent mark, while Vivian Nwosu leads the team, shooting 43.3 percent from the field.
The Golden Eagles have struggled in the second half this season. While TTU has scored 55 more points in the second stanza, its opponents have recorded 113 more in the second 20 minutes. The Racers took advantage of this in their first meeting with the Golden Eagles, pushing out to a 29-point lead at one point in the second half.
Against the Golden Eagles
Murray State had a strong overall performance in their 69-47 victory over TTU at the Eblen Center earlier this season. The victory marked just the third for the Racers over the Golden Eagles on the road and also the largest margin of victory in the series history. The previous largest margin of victory was 13 points, Feb. 19, 1996 in Murray.
Murray State saw double-digit scoring from four players, including a team-high 18 points from senior Ashley Hayes. Seniors Amber Guffey and Paige Guffey added 14 and 12 points, respectively, while junior Mallory Luckett tallied a career-high 11 points.
The Racers' earned the victory with strong shooting from the floor and beyond the arc. Murray State shot 48.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range, while holding TTU to a 33.3 percent mark overall, and 12.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles did earn a clear advantage in the rebounding column, 41-31, including a 17-4 mark on the offensive boards.
TTU was led by Meagan Lyons, with 16 points, and Krystal Stirrup, with 12 points. The Racers defense was a key to victory as they held the Golden Eagles leading scorer - Blair Bowens - to just eight points.
The Series
Of the nine Ohio Valley Conference series, the all-time series with TTU has the most lopsided advantage in favor of the Racers opponent. The Golden Eagles have won 54 of the 65 previous meetings, but Murray State has been turning that around in the last four years. The Racers have been the victors in the last four games and in five of the last seven dating back to the 2005-06 campaign. Murray State has fared a little better at home, winning eight of the 32 meetings.
Best Scoring Duo in the Nation
Seniors Ashley Hayes and Amber Guffey have been leading the Racers all season in scoring and rebounding, but now they have earned the distinction as the best scoring duo in Division I women's basketball. Both players are in the top-12 in the nation in scoring and Murray State is the only school in the nation with two players in the top-50.
Hayes is currently in the No. 5 position with 23.2 points per game, while Guffey is ranked 12th with 20.7 points per game. Both four-year starters are on the best single-game scoring list this season. Guffey is tied for 12th with her 36 point performance at Colorado State. Hayes is also in the No. 12 spot with her 36 points against Austin Peay and in the No. 1 spot for her school-record 46 points against Tennessee State.
4-Peat
Ashley Hayes strung together the two best consecutive scoring games by a Racer in school history, set the single game scoring record, put her name on two NCAA individual performance lists and has now been named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for the fourth-straight week that Murray State competed. She was named OVC Player of the Week for Jan. 12, Jan. 19, and Jan. 26 before missing the Feb. 2 week since the Racers did not compete due to the ice storm that forced the team to reschedule its Jan. 31 game against UT Martin for Feb. 23.
The Humboldt, Tenn., native tallied 82 points in two games, including a school record 46 against Tennessee State, last week. She shot 65 percent from the field and 58 percent from beyond the arc, while hitting all 16 of her free-throw attempts.
Ashley Atop Record Books
Almost two years after Joi Scott set the Racer's single game record for points scored in a game (43 at Tennessee State - 2/26/06) senior Ashley Hayes went into the same building and rewrote the record with her name and 46 points. The total not only gives her the record for the most points scored by an Murray State basketball player - both men's and women's - but it also puts her at the top of the list for points scored in a game this season in NCAA Division I. The previous high was 44 by Shantia Grace (South Florida) Nov. 23, 2008.
The Humboldt, Tenn., native accomplished the feat with career highs of 14 field goals, seven three-pointers, and 11 free throws. Her seven treys ranks her second on the single game chart at Murray State. Her 11-for-11 free throw mark also puts her in a tie for the second best free-throw percentage in a game.
Unsung Performances
While most of the attention last week was on senior Ashley Hayes, fellow senior Amber Guffey was also recording strong numbers for the Racers. The Albany, Ky., native tallied 26 points, six rebounds, and eight assists against Tennessee State. She followed that game with 25 points, seven rebound, nine assist game against Austin Peay.
Guffey went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe against the Lady Govs and hit 15-of-16 free throws against the Tigers.
Academic Success
Murray State women's basketball seniors Amber Guffey and Paige Guffey have both been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 4 First Team and will now be eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors. The first team honors mark the first time that a MSU women's basketball player has been eligible for Academic All-America honors.
Only eight student-athletes from Murray State have been named to an Academic All-America team, with the most recent being Sarah Dearworth (Volleyball) earning a third-team award in 1994. The volleyball team has seen three Academic All-Americans, while the football team has produced two, and men's basketball, baseball, and rifle have all earned one.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers now have a 9-0 mark in the RSEC this season. The home winning streak dates back to Jan. 31, 2008 and currently stands at 13 games, the longest since Murray State moved to the RSEC. The last loss that the Racers suffered at home was Jan. 26, 2008 against Southeast Missouri State.
The 13-game home winning streak puts Murray state in a tie for 11th in the country for the longest current home winning streak. The Racers current nine game winning streak also makes the NCAA list of current consecutive wins and puts them in a tie for 15th.
The longest home winning streak in team history is 19 games from Feb. 28, 1987 to Jan. 28, 1989.
20 Point Triple
Murray State's “Big Three” have had strong performances all season, but for the fourth time the trio tallied over 20 points in a game when they did so against Southeast Missouri State.
In a survey of NCAA Division I women's basketball SID's across the country only the University of Georgia has had three players score more than 20 points in a game twice in the same season.
Georgia is also the only school that has had twin sisters score more than 20 points in the same game. Kelly and Coco Miller tallied more than 20 points in the same game 10 times during their four-year career.
Working Way onto Watch List
Senior Amber Guffey can now add one more nomination to her list of honors for the 2008-09 campaign as she became the first Murray State women's basketball player to be named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List, awarded to the top women's basketball player in the nation.
The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T early season watch list was announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and consists of 50 NCAA Division I women's basketball players from across the country. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis, MO.
NCAA Student-Athlete Blog
The NCAA started a new feature on its website for the 2008-09 season. The organization has chosen a student-athlete from each of the sponsored sports at each division to create a blog for the duration of the athlete's season. The NCAA asked the MSU women's basketball team to participate in the blog, and seniors Amber Guffey and Ashley Hayes have been uploading at least one blog entry per week since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.
The Guffey/Hayes Blog can be found as a link on www.GoRacers.com on the right-hand side of the women's basketball page.
Free-Throw Frenzy
For the past four seasons, MSU has been knocking down a high percentage of shots from the charity stripe. Their effort to do so has paid off, as the Racers are currently ranked No. 1 among NCAA Division I teams in free-throw percentage. MSU has made 83.7 percent (381-of-455) of its free throws during the 2008-09 campaign in games through Feb. 9.
MSU finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked No. 3 in the same category, while the team was ninth in 2006-07, and 14th in 2005-06.
Individually the Racers have three players ranked in the top-100 in free-throw percentage. Ashley Hayes leads the team and the OVC with 89.7 percent, having missed only eight of her 78 attempts. That ranks her seventh in the nation. Paige Guffey is also ranked on the national list as No. 9 with an 89.5 percent mark from the charity stripe. Amber Guffey is the third member of the MSU roster ranked in the national free-throw standings at No. 18. Amber has hit 155 of her 176 attempts for a 88.1 percent mark. She finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked sixth in the country with a 85.0 free-throw percentage.
Upcoming Schedule
The final game of the week will be a home contest against Jacksonville State, Saturday, Feb. 14 at 5:15 p.m. in the RSEC. The evening is slated as the annual Pink Zone night. All women will get in free to the game that is designed to promote awareness for breast cancer.
Quick Plays
Freshman Kristen Kluempers saw her first action since Jan. 22 against Eastern Illinois...junior Jasmyne Thornton saw her first action since Jan. 15 against Jacksonville State...Thornton tallied her first points of the season to give the Racers their first 20-point lead of the game over Austin Peay...freshman Rachael Isom tallied her first points since Jan. 8 against Tennessee State...junior Mallory Luckett tallied a career-best eight rebounds.
The Murray State women's basketball team returns to the confines of the Regional Special Events Center to play the first of five remaining home games during the 2008-09 regular season. The Racers will play five of the last seven regular season games at home this season and may add a sixth with a home game for the first round of the OVC Tournament.
About Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles head to Murray with a two-game winning streak after earning league victories at home over Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State last week. TTU is now 6-18 overall and 4-9 in OVC action.
While they have earned wins in their last two games at home, the Golden Eagles have struggled on the road this season. TTU is 5-7 at home, but only has a 1-11 record when outside of Cookeville, Tenn.
Like most teams in the conference the Golden Eagles have a “dynamic duo” that leads the team. TTU's duo is Blair Bowens and Meagan Lyons. Bowens averages 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while Lyons adds 10.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game during conference action. Bowens is an all-around threat with the ball as she shoots 39.6 percent from the field, 44.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.6 percent from the free-throw line. Lyons is among three players shooting over 40 percent from the field, with her 42.1 percent mark. Tacarra Hayes adds a 40 percent mark, while Vivian Nwosu leads the team, shooting 43.3 percent from the field.
The Golden Eagles have struggled in the second half this season. While TTU has scored 55 more points in the second stanza, its opponents have recorded 113 more in the second 20 minutes. The Racers took advantage of this in their first meeting with the Golden Eagles, pushing out to a 29-point lead at one point in the second half.
Against the Golden Eagles
Murray State had a strong overall performance in their 69-47 victory over TTU at the Eblen Center earlier this season. The victory marked just the third for the Racers over the Golden Eagles on the road and also the largest margin of victory in the series history. The previous largest margin of victory was 13 points, Feb. 19, 1996 in Murray.
Murray State saw double-digit scoring from four players, including a team-high 18 points from senior Ashley Hayes. Seniors Amber Guffey and Paige Guffey added 14 and 12 points, respectively, while junior Mallory Luckett tallied a career-high 11 points.
The Racers' earned the victory with strong shooting from the floor and beyond the arc. Murray State shot 48.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range, while holding TTU to a 33.3 percent mark overall, and 12.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles did earn a clear advantage in the rebounding column, 41-31, including a 17-4 mark on the offensive boards.
TTU was led by Meagan Lyons, with 16 points, and Krystal Stirrup, with 12 points. The Racers defense was a key to victory as they held the Golden Eagles leading scorer - Blair Bowens - to just eight points.
The Series
Of the nine Ohio Valley Conference series, the all-time series with TTU has the most lopsided advantage in favor of the Racers opponent. The Golden Eagles have won 54 of the 65 previous meetings, but Murray State has been turning that around in the last four years. The Racers have been the victors in the last four games and in five of the last seven dating back to the 2005-06 campaign. Murray State has fared a little better at home, winning eight of the 32 meetings.
Best Scoring Duo in the Nation
Seniors Ashley Hayes and Amber Guffey have been leading the Racers all season in scoring and rebounding, but now they have earned the distinction as the best scoring duo in Division I women's basketball. Both players are in the top-12 in the nation in scoring and Murray State is the only school in the nation with two players in the top-50.
Hayes is currently in the No. 5 position with 23.2 points per game, while Guffey is ranked 12th with 20.7 points per game. Both four-year starters are on the best single-game scoring list this season. Guffey is tied for 12th with her 36 point performance at Colorado State. Hayes is also in the No. 12 spot with her 36 points against Austin Peay and in the No. 1 spot for her school-record 46 points against Tennessee State.
4-Peat
Ashley Hayes strung together the two best consecutive scoring games by a Racer in school history, set the single game scoring record, put her name on two NCAA individual performance lists and has now been named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for the fourth-straight week that Murray State competed. She was named OVC Player of the Week for Jan. 12, Jan. 19, and Jan. 26 before missing the Feb. 2 week since the Racers did not compete due to the ice storm that forced the team to reschedule its Jan. 31 game against UT Martin for Feb. 23.
The Humboldt, Tenn., native tallied 82 points in two games, including a school record 46 against Tennessee State, last week. She shot 65 percent from the field and 58 percent from beyond the arc, while hitting all 16 of her free-throw attempts.
Ashley Atop Record Books
Almost two years after Joi Scott set the Racer's single game record for points scored in a game (43 at Tennessee State - 2/26/06) senior Ashley Hayes went into the same building and rewrote the record with her name and 46 points. The total not only gives her the record for the most points scored by an Murray State basketball player - both men's and women's - but it also puts her at the top of the list for points scored in a game this season in NCAA Division I. The previous high was 44 by Shantia Grace (South Florida) Nov. 23, 2008.
The Humboldt, Tenn., native accomplished the feat with career highs of 14 field goals, seven three-pointers, and 11 free throws. Her seven treys ranks her second on the single game chart at Murray State. Her 11-for-11 free throw mark also puts her in a tie for the second best free-throw percentage in a game.
Unsung Performances
While most of the attention last week was on senior Ashley Hayes, fellow senior Amber Guffey was also recording strong numbers for the Racers. The Albany, Ky., native tallied 26 points, six rebounds, and eight assists against Tennessee State. She followed that game with 25 points, seven rebound, nine assist game against Austin Peay.
Guffey went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe against the Lady Govs and hit 15-of-16 free throws against the Tigers.
Academic Success
Murray State women's basketball seniors Amber Guffey and Paige Guffey have both been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 4 First Team and will now be eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors. The first team honors mark the first time that a MSU women's basketball player has been eligible for Academic All-America honors.
Only eight student-athletes from Murray State have been named to an Academic All-America team, with the most recent being Sarah Dearworth (Volleyball) earning a third-team award in 1994. The volleyball team has seen three Academic All-Americans, while the football team has produced two, and men's basketball, baseball, and rifle have all earned one.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers now have a 9-0 mark in the RSEC this season. The home winning streak dates back to Jan. 31, 2008 and currently stands at 13 games, the longest since Murray State moved to the RSEC. The last loss that the Racers suffered at home was Jan. 26, 2008 against Southeast Missouri State.
The 13-game home winning streak puts Murray state in a tie for 11th in the country for the longest current home winning streak. The Racers current nine game winning streak also makes the NCAA list of current consecutive wins and puts them in a tie for 15th.
The longest home winning streak in team history is 19 games from Feb. 28, 1987 to Jan. 28, 1989.
20 Point Triple
Murray State's “Big Three” have had strong performances all season, but for the fourth time the trio tallied over 20 points in a game when they did so against Southeast Missouri State.
In a survey of NCAA Division I women's basketball SID's across the country only the University of Georgia has had three players score more than 20 points in a game twice in the same season.
Georgia is also the only school that has had twin sisters score more than 20 points in the same game. Kelly and Coco Miller tallied more than 20 points in the same game 10 times during their four-year career.
Working Way onto Watch List
Senior Amber Guffey can now add one more nomination to her list of honors for the 2008-09 campaign as she became the first Murray State women's basketball player to be named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List, awarded to the top women's basketball player in the nation.
The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T early season watch list was announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and consists of 50 NCAA Division I women's basketball players from across the country. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis, MO.
NCAA Student-Athlete Blog
The NCAA started a new feature on its website for the 2008-09 season. The organization has chosen a student-athlete from each of the sponsored sports at each division to create a blog for the duration of the athlete's season. The NCAA asked the MSU women's basketball team to participate in the blog, and seniors Amber Guffey and Ashley Hayes have been uploading at least one blog entry per week since the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.
The Guffey/Hayes Blog can be found as a link on www.GoRacers.com on the right-hand side of the women's basketball page.
Free-Throw Frenzy
For the past four seasons, MSU has been knocking down a high percentage of shots from the charity stripe. Their effort to do so has paid off, as the Racers are currently ranked No. 1 among NCAA Division I teams in free-throw percentage. MSU has made 83.7 percent (381-of-455) of its free throws during the 2008-09 campaign in games through Feb. 9.
MSU finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked No. 3 in the same category, while the team was ninth in 2006-07, and 14th in 2005-06.
Individually the Racers have three players ranked in the top-100 in free-throw percentage. Ashley Hayes leads the team and the OVC with 89.7 percent, having missed only eight of her 78 attempts. That ranks her seventh in the nation. Paige Guffey is also ranked on the national list as No. 9 with an 89.5 percent mark from the charity stripe. Amber Guffey is the third member of the MSU roster ranked in the national free-throw standings at No. 18. Amber has hit 155 of her 176 attempts for a 88.1 percent mark. She finished the 2007-08 campaign ranked sixth in the country with a 85.0 free-throw percentage.
Upcoming Schedule
The final game of the week will be a home contest against Jacksonville State, Saturday, Feb. 14 at 5:15 p.m. in the RSEC. The evening is slated as the annual Pink Zone night. All women will get in free to the game that is designed to promote awareness for breast cancer.
Quick Plays
Freshman Kristen Kluempers saw her first action since Jan. 22 against Eastern Illinois...junior Jasmyne Thornton saw her first action since Jan. 15 against Jacksonville State...Thornton tallied her first points of the season to give the Racers their first 20-point lead of the game over Austin Peay...freshman Rachael Isom tallied her first points since Jan. 8 against Tennessee State...junior Mallory Luckett tallied a career-best eight rebounds.
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