Murray State University Athletics
Racers Start Second Half of OVC Season At UT Martin
1/29/2010 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
After getting a week off, the Murray State women's basketball team returns to action for the final of three-straight road games, Saturday, Jan. 30. The Racers travel to battle with UT Martin for a 4 p.m. tip-off at the Elam Center. The game marks the start of the second-half of the Ohio Valley Conference schedule for MSU.
Scouting UT Martin
The Skyhawks head into Saturday's game with a 4-15 overall record and a 2-7 mark in the OVC. UTM is currently on a two-game losing streak after falling to league-leading Eastern Illinois (Jan. 23) and non-conference foe SIU-Edwardsville (Jan. 25).
The Skyhawks may only be averaging 49.3 points per game, but they have spread out their offense this season. Alecia Weatherly is UTM's leading scorer with 11.8 points per game. The remainder of the active team members are averaging between 9.3 and 0.3 points per game, with only one player below three points per game.
Darnisha Lyles is the team's leading rebounder and most consistent scorer. Lyles grabs 8.4 boards per game and is hitting 48 percent (59-of-123) of her shots. Weatherly and Cali Cupples are the biggest threats from beyond the arc. Weatherly has made 41.7 percent (25-of-60) of her attempts, while Cupples has made 46-of-148 (31.1%).
Shooting percentage has been a problem for the Skyhawks this season. UTM combines for a 35.6 percentage, while its opponents are making 40.2 percent of their shots. The Skyhawks even out the difference in shots taken from three-point range (30.4 to 30.9).
Ball control will be another key area on the stat sheet. UTM is averaging 20.8 turnovers per game to 14.9 from their opponents. The Skyhawks are also averaging 6.4 steals to their opponents 10.7 per game.
UTM is a second half team, with almost 100 more points being scored by the Skyhawks in the second 20 minutes than the opening 20 (423-514). UTM has also held its opponents to 71 less points in the second stanza this season (629-558).
Against the Skyhawks
MSU and UTM opened the 2010 portion of the schedule against each other in the Regional Special Events Center, with the Racers earning a 55-47 victory (Jan. 4).
MSU spread out their scoring, with all but one of the 12 players who saw action recording at least one point. Senior Kayla Vance led the team with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior Mallory Luckett added eight points, seven rebounds and four assists, while freshman Mariah Robinson added eight points and rookie Tessa Elkins contributed seven points, six rebounds and two steals.
Alecia Weatherly led the charge for the Skyhawks, with 20 points and five rebounds. Darnisha Lyles was also strong, with a 14-point 14-rebound double-double.
The Racers took control of the game early in the first half and never allowed the Skyhawks to earn a lead. MSU went into the intermission with a 15-point advantage, but UTM fought hard in the second half and slowly cut the deficit. However the Skyhawks were never able to get closer than the final eight-point deficit.
The Series
The all-time series currently stands at 32-28 in favor of the Racers, after MSU has been the victor in the last six outings. The Racers trail, 17-13, in the series when playing on the road, but have won the last three games in the Elam Center. MSU is also 9-1 in the last 10 meetings. A Racer win on Saturday would even out the regular-season OVC series at 18.
Double Player of the Week Honors
For the first time in the 2009-10 campaign the Racers had two players earn OVC player of the week honors when senior Mallory Luckett was named Player of the Week and Mariah Robinson was named Freshman of the Week for Jan. 18.
Luckett earned the honor after recording the second triple-double in school history with 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Jacksonville State. The Louisville, Ky., native followed that performance with a double-double versus Tennessee Tech with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She was just three assists shy of a second triple-double against the Golden Eagles. Her 11 assists versus JSU tied for the No. 7 spot on the Racer's assists list.
Robinson averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over the two games last week. The Beaver Dam, Ky., native recorded her second game with a double-digit point total against Tennessee Tech, with a career-high 22 points. She went 10-for-13 from the charity stripe against the Golden Eagles. She added a career-best 11 rebounds against Jacksonville State.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE!!!!
Senior Mallory Luckett accomplished a feat that only one other Racer player had done in school history when she recorded a triple-double in the Racers, 78-49, victory over Jacksonville State. The Louisville, Ky., native tallied 14 points, a career-high 11 assists and 10 rebounds to join Karen Johnson as the only MSU women's players to garner a triple-double. Johnson earned the Racers' first during the 1987-88 campaign.
Luckett is one of 15 players in NCAA DI women's basketball to record a triple-double this season and is the second from the OVC, as Tacarra Hayes from TTU did so earlier this season. Her 11 assists ranked her No. 7 on the MSU all-time assists in a game list and marks the first time since the 2001-02 season that a Racer has tallied double-digit assists in a single game.
Luckett followed her triple-double with her fourth double-double against Tennessee Tech (10 points, 10 rebounds). She tallied seven assists against the Golden Eagles.
Double-Digit Isom
Sophomore Rachael Isom been stepping up for MSU the last five games, with double-digit point totals, including three-straight games with at least 20 points. The Cleveland, Tenn., native has tallied double-digit point totals for the Racers in 12 games this season and has been the team's leading scorer in seven games.
Scoring Go-Round
After having three players from the 2008-09 season dominate the scoring all season, the 2009-10 edition of the Racers has been harder to determine who will fill in that role. MSU has had six different members of the roster lead the team in scoring this season. Senior Kayla Vance is leading the way with eight games in the top-scoring position, with and sophomore Rachael Isom having done so seven times. Senior Mallory Luckett has topped the scoring charts four times. Sophomore Mallory Schwab and freshman Mariah Robinson have been the leading scorers twice, with sophomore Kristen Kluempers each leading the team once.
Three Point Streak
The Racers currently have the No. 10 active three-point scoring streak in NCAA DI women's basketball, at 309 games. The streak dates back to Nov. 27, 1999 against Belmont. Canisus College is leading the list, with an NCAA-record 472-straight games scoring at least one shot from beyond the arc. Southeast Missouri State is the only other team from the conference in the top-10, at No. 7 (362).
National Recognition
Murray State might not have the best overall record, but the team is currently ranked in the top-100 of six national statistical categories and has three players ranked in the top-110 in five individual categories as of Jan. 24.
The Racers top ranking is in three point field-goal defense, at No. 17 (27.1). The Racers are also No. 28 in three-point field goals made (7.3), No. 57 in scoring offense (70.3), No. 82 in three point field-goal percentage (34.2), No. 83 in turnover margin (1.9) and No. 93 in turnovers (16.8).
Mallory Luckett leads the team with three individual top-110 rankings. The Louisville, Ky., native is in the No. 30 spot for assists (5.4) and No. 36 in assist/turnover ratio (1.91) and No. 3 in triple-doubles (1.0). Freshman Jessica Holder is ranked 108th in blocked shots (1.4) and senior Kayla Vance recently earned a No. 86 ranking for her 81.7 free-throw percentage.
Up Next
After two weeks on the road the Racers return to the RSEC for a weekend series with Tennessee State (Feb. 4) and Austin Peay (Feb. 6). Both games are set for 5:15 p.m. tip-offs.
Noteables
Sophomore Kayla Lowe tallied her first points since Nov. 15 against EIU after missing 14 games due to injury…the Racers had five players garner at least 10 points for the first time since Dec. 21, 2009, when they had five with 10+ points at SEMO…the Racers finished the game against the Redhawks with 13 triples, one shy of the school record set earlier this season twice (14).
Scouting UT Martin
The Skyhawks head into Saturday's game with a 4-15 overall record and a 2-7 mark in the OVC. UTM is currently on a two-game losing streak after falling to league-leading Eastern Illinois (Jan. 23) and non-conference foe SIU-Edwardsville (Jan. 25).
The Skyhawks may only be averaging 49.3 points per game, but they have spread out their offense this season. Alecia Weatherly is UTM's leading scorer with 11.8 points per game. The remainder of the active team members are averaging between 9.3 and 0.3 points per game, with only one player below three points per game.
Darnisha Lyles is the team's leading rebounder and most consistent scorer. Lyles grabs 8.4 boards per game and is hitting 48 percent (59-of-123) of her shots. Weatherly and Cali Cupples are the biggest threats from beyond the arc. Weatherly has made 41.7 percent (25-of-60) of her attempts, while Cupples has made 46-of-148 (31.1%).
Shooting percentage has been a problem for the Skyhawks this season. UTM combines for a 35.6 percentage, while its opponents are making 40.2 percent of their shots. The Skyhawks even out the difference in shots taken from three-point range (30.4 to 30.9).
Ball control will be another key area on the stat sheet. UTM is averaging 20.8 turnovers per game to 14.9 from their opponents. The Skyhawks are also averaging 6.4 steals to their opponents 10.7 per game.
UTM is a second half team, with almost 100 more points being scored by the Skyhawks in the second 20 minutes than the opening 20 (423-514). UTM has also held its opponents to 71 less points in the second stanza this season (629-558).
Against the Skyhawks
MSU and UTM opened the 2010 portion of the schedule against each other in the Regional Special Events Center, with the Racers earning a 55-47 victory (Jan. 4).
MSU spread out their scoring, with all but one of the 12 players who saw action recording at least one point. Senior Kayla Vance led the team with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior Mallory Luckett added eight points, seven rebounds and four assists, while freshman Mariah Robinson added eight points and rookie Tessa Elkins contributed seven points, six rebounds and two steals.
Alecia Weatherly led the charge for the Skyhawks, with 20 points and five rebounds. Darnisha Lyles was also strong, with a 14-point 14-rebound double-double.
The Racers took control of the game early in the first half and never allowed the Skyhawks to earn a lead. MSU went into the intermission with a 15-point advantage, but UTM fought hard in the second half and slowly cut the deficit. However the Skyhawks were never able to get closer than the final eight-point deficit.
The Series
The all-time series currently stands at 32-28 in favor of the Racers, after MSU has been the victor in the last six outings. The Racers trail, 17-13, in the series when playing on the road, but have won the last three games in the Elam Center. MSU is also 9-1 in the last 10 meetings. A Racer win on Saturday would even out the regular-season OVC series at 18.
Double Player of the Week Honors
For the first time in the 2009-10 campaign the Racers had two players earn OVC player of the week honors when senior Mallory Luckett was named Player of the Week and Mariah Robinson was named Freshman of the Week for Jan. 18.
Luckett earned the honor after recording the second triple-double in school history with 14 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Jacksonville State. The Louisville, Ky., native followed that performance with a double-double versus Tennessee Tech with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She was just three assists shy of a second triple-double against the Golden Eagles. Her 11 assists versus JSU tied for the No. 7 spot on the Racer's assists list.
Robinson averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over the two games last week. The Beaver Dam, Ky., native recorded her second game with a double-digit point total against Tennessee Tech, with a career-high 22 points. She went 10-for-13 from the charity stripe against the Golden Eagles. She added a career-best 11 rebounds against Jacksonville State.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE!!!!
Senior Mallory Luckett accomplished a feat that only one other Racer player had done in school history when she recorded a triple-double in the Racers, 78-49, victory over Jacksonville State. The Louisville, Ky., native tallied 14 points, a career-high 11 assists and 10 rebounds to join Karen Johnson as the only MSU women's players to garner a triple-double. Johnson earned the Racers' first during the 1987-88 campaign.
Luckett is one of 15 players in NCAA DI women's basketball to record a triple-double this season and is the second from the OVC, as Tacarra Hayes from TTU did so earlier this season. Her 11 assists ranked her No. 7 on the MSU all-time assists in a game list and marks the first time since the 2001-02 season that a Racer has tallied double-digit assists in a single game.
Luckett followed her triple-double with her fourth double-double against Tennessee Tech (10 points, 10 rebounds). She tallied seven assists against the Golden Eagles.
Double-Digit Isom
Sophomore Rachael Isom been stepping up for MSU the last five games, with double-digit point totals, including three-straight games with at least 20 points. The Cleveland, Tenn., native has tallied double-digit point totals for the Racers in 12 games this season and has been the team's leading scorer in seven games.
Scoring Go-Round
After having three players from the 2008-09 season dominate the scoring all season, the 2009-10 edition of the Racers has been harder to determine who will fill in that role. MSU has had six different members of the roster lead the team in scoring this season. Senior Kayla Vance is leading the way with eight games in the top-scoring position, with and sophomore Rachael Isom having done so seven times. Senior Mallory Luckett has topped the scoring charts four times. Sophomore Mallory Schwab and freshman Mariah Robinson have been the leading scorers twice, with sophomore Kristen Kluempers each leading the team once.
Three Point Streak
The Racers currently have the No. 10 active three-point scoring streak in NCAA DI women's basketball, at 309 games. The streak dates back to Nov. 27, 1999 against Belmont. Canisus College is leading the list, with an NCAA-record 472-straight games scoring at least one shot from beyond the arc. Southeast Missouri State is the only other team from the conference in the top-10, at No. 7 (362).
National Recognition
Murray State might not have the best overall record, but the team is currently ranked in the top-100 of six national statistical categories and has three players ranked in the top-110 in five individual categories as of Jan. 24.
The Racers top ranking is in three point field-goal defense, at No. 17 (27.1). The Racers are also No. 28 in three-point field goals made (7.3), No. 57 in scoring offense (70.3), No. 82 in three point field-goal percentage (34.2), No. 83 in turnover margin (1.9) and No. 93 in turnovers (16.8).
Mallory Luckett leads the team with three individual top-110 rankings. The Louisville, Ky., native is in the No. 30 spot for assists (5.4) and No. 36 in assist/turnover ratio (1.91) and No. 3 in triple-doubles (1.0). Freshman Jessica Holder is ranked 108th in blocked shots (1.4) and senior Kayla Vance recently earned a No. 86 ranking for her 81.7 free-throw percentage.
Up Next
After two weeks on the road the Racers return to the RSEC for a weekend series with Tennessee State (Feb. 4) and Austin Peay (Feb. 6). Both games are set for 5:15 p.m. tip-offs.
Noteables
Sophomore Kayla Lowe tallied her first points since Nov. 15 against EIU after missing 14 games due to injury…the Racers had five players garner at least 10 points for the first time since Dec. 21, 2009, when they had five with 10+ points at SEMO…the Racers finished the game against the Redhawks with 13 triples, one shy of the school record set earlier this season twice (14).
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