Racers Defend Home Winning Streak with 91-84 Victory Over Tennessee Tech

Thursday, February 12

RSEC

5:15 p.m.

Murray State

Tennessee Tech

Racers Defend Home Winning Streak with 91-84 Victory Over Tennessee Tech

2/12/2009 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Senior Ashley Hayes continued to prove why she was voted the 2008-09 Preseason Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year as she tallied 31 points and added a career-best 17 rebounds in the Murray State women's basketball team's 91-84 victory over Tennessee Tech in the Regional Special Events Center.

The victory marked the 10^th consecutive win for the Racers (16-6, 11-1 OVC) and the 14^th-straight home victory.

Hayes was one of three players in double-digits for Murray State, as senior Amber Guffey bounced back from a zero-point performance in the first half to tally 18 in the second and senior Paige Guffey added 17 points for the Racers. Amber Guffey added five rebounds, six assists, one block, and recorded only one turnover.

“I can't say enough of the play of Ashley Hayes in the last three games,” said head coach Rob Cross. “She is one of those players that knows that the intensity level steps up in the final five or six games of the regular season and she needs to turn up the intensity on the team through leadership.”

The Racers were the first team to remove the goose egg from the scoreboard, when senior Angela Mullins hit a jumper from just outside the key 15 seconds into the game. The Golden Eagles (6-19, 4-10 OVC) quickly responded with a three-pointer by Blair Bowens. The triple started an 8-0 run for TTU over the next two minutes. Murray State broke the scoreless streak with just under 17 minutes left to play when Paige Guffey sank the first of her four free throws of the half.

The free throws started a 9-0 run by the Racers to tie the game at eight and move on to take an 11-8 advantage. The Golden Eagles tied the game on the next possession, but Murray State again took a lead with a 4-0 run over the next three minutes. The game remained tight for the rest of the half with the Racers leading by no more than four for most of the half.

The game was tied four times in the half, with the final time coming with 7:30 left in the half. Murray State then went on an 8-2 run over the next 4:30 to take the lead for good. The Racers pushed the advantage out to as many as eight before heading to the locker room with a 41-38 advantage.

Both teams came out of the locker room with defense on the mind and held each other scoreless until Murray State broke the stalemate with 18:49 left in the game. The Racers scored five points in the next two minutes before the Golden Eagles earned their first points of the half. Murray State pushed its lead to eight points with less than 17 minutes left to play before TTU went on a 6-2 run over the next two minutes to cut the lead to four.

The Racers then used an 8-2 run in the next minute of play to earn their first 10-point advantage of the game (58-48). Murray State kept the lead over 10 for most of the next 11 minutes before the Golden Eagles made their final push with just over two minutes left on the clock. TTU then started a 9-5 run to end the game that cut the advantage to five with 24 seconds left, but the deficit was too much and Murray State earned the 91-84 win.

The Racers had another strong shooting night, hitting 52.7 percent (29-of-55) of their shots from the field and 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc. Murray State also held the Golden Eagles to a 38.8 percent (31-of-80) mark from the field and 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from three-point range. The Racers had an advantage in the rebounding column for just the ninth time this season, out-rebounding TTU 43-40. However, the Golden Eagles seized a clear advantage in the offensive rebounding column (19-8).

“I wasn't really proud of our rebounding performance tonight even though we out-rebounded them by three,” Cross said. “But I didn't envision giving up 21 offensive rebounds in the process.”

Murray State will next face Jacksonville State, Saturday, Feb. 14 at the RSEC. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. on the night that has been designated the annual Pink Zone game. All women get into the game for free on the night designed to promote awareness for breast cancer. All fans an encouraged to wear pink.

Notes: Junior Kayla Vance saw her first action since Jan. 17 at Tennessee Tech...she recorded her first points since Dec. 17, 2008 against Alabama A&M when she hit a career-high three free throws in the first half......Vance ended the game with six points...TTU held Amber Guffey scoreless in the first half...it was the second time this season that she has not scored in the first half...as a team the Racers recorded a season-high seven blocks...senior Angela Mullins tied her career high of three blocks.

Quotes

Head Coach Rob Cross

“Tennessee Tech is a very tough team and they showed that tonight.”

“I was very pleased with the play of Kayla Vance. Kayla works as hard as anyone in practice and is a very aggressive player and that is the reason that she went in the game ? to give us a lift offensively.”