Murray State University Athletics
Racers Set to Host Redhawks in Key OVC Game
2/18/2010 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State women's basketball team will host Southeast Missouri State, Thursday, Feb. 18 as part of the annual PinkZone initiative to help promote awareness for breast cancer. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and all fans are encouraged to wear pink to help support the cause.
Scouting Southeast Missouri
The Redhawks head to Murray with a 7-17 overall mark and a 4-10 record in the Ohio Valley Conference standings after losing their last five games. SEMO is a very young team, with 11 of its 13 rostered players being underclassmen. The Redhawks have also struggled with injuries this season, with the team's leading scorer, Jasmine Davis, having missed the last 11 games.
Bailie Roberts, who recently returned to action from injury, is the team's active leading scorer at 8.4 points per game. Roberts makes 40 percent (54-of-135) of her shots, and 35.4 percent of those beyond the arc (17-of-48). Leslie Adams, the lone senior on this seasons squad, is the team's leading rebounder, with 6.0 boards per game. Adams is shooting 37.7 percent on the year (55-of-146).
As a team, the Redhawks are shooting 33.7 percent for the season and only three members of the team are shooting under 30 percent. The team spreads out their offense, as eight of the 13 have taken over 100 shots and five have taken over 50 three's. The team does struggle more from beyond the arc, hitting only 27.7 percent (116-of-419) of their attempts this year.
SEMO has struggled shooting in its last two outings, hitting under 30 percent from the field in both games.
Against the Redhawks
In the last meeting between the Racers and SEMO, MSU had five players record double-digit point totals on its way to a 90-72 victory. Seniors Kayla Vance and Mallory Luckett and freshman Mariah Robinson all tallied 14 points to lead the Racers.
MSU went on a 15-0 run to start the game and never allowed the Redhawks to get closer than nine points the rest of the game. The Racers shot 50 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three-point range. MSU hit 13 triples in the game, one less than the season high of 14 set twice.
Erika Lane led the Redhawk offense with 14 points, while Bianca Beck added 13 and Lesley Adams chipped in 12 points. SEMO was missing both Jamsine Davis and Bailie Roberts, its top-two leading scorers, in the game due to injury.
The Series
The Redhawks currently own a 29-20 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1973-74 campaign. The Racers are 11-10 at home, but have gone 1-4 in the last five games played at the RSEC. However, MSU is 3-2 in the last five games in the series.
Kayla Konnecting
Senior Kayla Vance had an outstanding game for the Racers against Tennessee Tech. The West Paducah, Ky., native tallied a career-high 27 points against the Golden Eagles, including a career-best 10 field goals. The 27 points also represents the most points scored by a Racer in a single game this season. The previous high was 26, tallied twice by sophomore Rachael Isom.
Isom Earns Academic All-District Honors
Sophomore Rachael Isom was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 4 Second Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA). A native of Cleveland, Tenn., Isom has a 4.00 GPA while majoring in English.
Isom is the third women's basketball player in the last three seasons to earn a spot on the All-District 4 teams. Amber Guffey and Paige Guffey earned Academic All-District 4 second and third team honors in 2007-08 and then moved up to first team selections in 2008-09. The duo was also named to the 2008-09 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team, with Amber Guffey earning Academic All-America of the Year honors.
Career Night
The Racers win over Tennessee State saw several players earn career highs and firsts. Freshman Tessa Elkins had a banner night, setting career bests in points (10), rebounds (7), assists (3), blocks (1), and field goals made (4). Senior Mallory Luckett added career highs for steals (4), blocks (3), and free throws (8). Candace Nevels set a career high for her five rebounds and also recorded her first career assist. Fellow rookie Jessica Holder netted her first career three-pointer, while senior Kayla Vance garnered her first career block.
Lowe's Highs
Sophomore Kayla Lowe may have missed 14 games due to injury this season, but since her return she has been stepping up and filling in a key role for MSU; scoring. The Pikeville, Ky., native recently more than doubled her career high in the points column. Lowe tallied 21 points against UT Martin and also set career bests for field goals (7), three-point field goals (4), and free throws (3).
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 seven different members of the roster lead the team in scoring this season. Senior Kayla Vance is leading the way with 11 games in the top-scoring position, with and sophomore Rachael Isom having done so eight 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 sophomores Kayla Lowe and Kristen Kluempers each leading the team once.
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.
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.
National Recognition
Murray State might not have the best overall record, but the team is currently ranked in the top-100 of eight national statistical categories and has two players ranked in the top-100 in four individual categories as of Feb. 14.
The Racers top ranking is in three point field goals made per game, at No. 28 (7.2). The Racers are also No. 66 in three-point field goal defense (29.3), No. 55 in scoring offense (70.3), No. 51 in turnovers (16.0), No. 68 in turnover margin (2.32), No. 80 in assist/turnover ratio (0.83), No. 82 in free-throw percentage (71.6) and No. 91 in three-point field-goal percentage (33.7).
Mallory Luckett leads the team with three individual top-100 rankings. The Louisville, Ky., native is in the No. 17 spot for assists (5.6), No. 22 in assist/turnover ratio (2.04) and No. 4 in triple-doubles (1.0). Senior Kayla Vance recently earned a No. 57 ranking for her 82.9 free-throw percentage.
Three Point Streak
The Racers currently have the No. 10 active three-point scoring streak in NCAA DI women's basketball, at 314 games. The streak dates back to Nov. 27, 1999 against Belmont. Canisus College is leading the list, with an NCAA-record 479-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 (368).
Up Next
The Racers will host Eastern Illinois in the final regular-season game at the Regional Special Events Center, Saturday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. The game is the annual Senior Day, when MSU will honor this season's three seniors; Mallory Luckett, Jasmyne Thornton and Kayla Vance, prior to the start of the game.
Noteables
The Racers are currently a 1/2 game out of fourth place in the OVC standings and 1 and 1/2 games out of eighth...MSU went 14-of-15 from the charity stripe at Jacksonville State…the .933 percentage ties for the 10th best free-throw percentage in school history…sophomore Rachael Isom started the streak on the free-throw line for the Racers, by taking and making the first five free throws…senior Mallory Luckett and Isom both have double-digit free-throw streaks going…Luckett has made her last 11, while Isom has connected on her last 10…the Racers committed just nine turnovers against the Gamecocks, including just three in the second half of play…the first did not come until there was 11:32 left to play on a jump ball call that went in favor of JSU.
Scouting Southeast Missouri
The Redhawks head to Murray with a 7-17 overall mark and a 4-10 record in the Ohio Valley Conference standings after losing their last five games. SEMO is a very young team, with 11 of its 13 rostered players being underclassmen. The Redhawks have also struggled with injuries this season, with the team's leading scorer, Jasmine Davis, having missed the last 11 games.
Bailie Roberts, who recently returned to action from injury, is the team's active leading scorer at 8.4 points per game. Roberts makes 40 percent (54-of-135) of her shots, and 35.4 percent of those beyond the arc (17-of-48). Leslie Adams, the lone senior on this seasons squad, is the team's leading rebounder, with 6.0 boards per game. Adams is shooting 37.7 percent on the year (55-of-146).
As a team, the Redhawks are shooting 33.7 percent for the season and only three members of the team are shooting under 30 percent. The team spreads out their offense, as eight of the 13 have taken over 100 shots and five have taken over 50 three's. The team does struggle more from beyond the arc, hitting only 27.7 percent (116-of-419) of their attempts this year.
SEMO has struggled shooting in its last two outings, hitting under 30 percent from the field in both games.
Against the Redhawks
In the last meeting between the Racers and SEMO, MSU had five players record double-digit point totals on its way to a 90-72 victory. Seniors Kayla Vance and Mallory Luckett and freshman Mariah Robinson all tallied 14 points to lead the Racers.
MSU went on a 15-0 run to start the game and never allowed the Redhawks to get closer than nine points the rest of the game. The Racers shot 50 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three-point range. MSU hit 13 triples in the game, one less than the season high of 14 set twice.
Erika Lane led the Redhawk offense with 14 points, while Bianca Beck added 13 and Lesley Adams chipped in 12 points. SEMO was missing both Jamsine Davis and Bailie Roberts, its top-two leading scorers, in the game due to injury.
The Series
The Redhawks currently own a 29-20 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1973-74 campaign. The Racers are 11-10 at home, but have gone 1-4 in the last five games played at the RSEC. However, MSU is 3-2 in the last five games in the series.
Kayla Konnecting
Senior Kayla Vance had an outstanding game for the Racers against Tennessee Tech. The West Paducah, Ky., native tallied a career-high 27 points against the Golden Eagles, including a career-best 10 field goals. The 27 points also represents the most points scored by a Racer in a single game this season. The previous high was 26, tallied twice by sophomore Rachael Isom.
Isom Earns Academic All-District Honors
Sophomore Rachael Isom was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 4 Second Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA). A native of Cleveland, Tenn., Isom has a 4.00 GPA while majoring in English.
Isom is the third women's basketball player in the last three seasons to earn a spot on the All-District 4 teams. Amber Guffey and Paige Guffey earned Academic All-District 4 second and third team honors in 2007-08 and then moved up to first team selections in 2008-09. The duo was also named to the 2008-09 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team, with Amber Guffey earning Academic All-America of the Year honors.
Career Night
The Racers win over Tennessee State saw several players earn career highs and firsts. Freshman Tessa Elkins had a banner night, setting career bests in points (10), rebounds (7), assists (3), blocks (1), and field goals made (4). Senior Mallory Luckett added career highs for steals (4), blocks (3), and free throws (8). Candace Nevels set a career high for her five rebounds and also recorded her first career assist. Fellow rookie Jessica Holder netted her first career three-pointer, while senior Kayla Vance garnered her first career block.
Lowe's Highs
Sophomore Kayla Lowe may have missed 14 games due to injury this season, but since her return she has been stepping up and filling in a key role for MSU; scoring. The Pikeville, Ky., native recently more than doubled her career high in the points column. Lowe tallied 21 points against UT Martin and also set career bests for field goals (7), three-point field goals (4), and free throws (3).
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 seven different members of the roster lead the team in scoring this season. Senior Kayla Vance is leading the way with 11 games in the top-scoring position, with and sophomore Rachael Isom having done so eight 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 sophomores Kayla Lowe and Kristen Kluempers each leading the team once.
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.
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.
National Recognition
Murray State might not have the best overall record, but the team is currently ranked in the top-100 of eight national statistical categories and has two players ranked in the top-100 in four individual categories as of Feb. 14.
The Racers top ranking is in three point field goals made per game, at No. 28 (7.2). The Racers are also No. 66 in three-point field goal defense (29.3), No. 55 in scoring offense (70.3), No. 51 in turnovers (16.0), No. 68 in turnover margin (2.32), No. 80 in assist/turnover ratio (0.83), No. 82 in free-throw percentage (71.6) and No. 91 in three-point field-goal percentage (33.7).
Mallory Luckett leads the team with three individual top-100 rankings. The Louisville, Ky., native is in the No. 17 spot for assists (5.6), No. 22 in assist/turnover ratio (2.04) and No. 4 in triple-doubles (1.0). Senior Kayla Vance recently earned a No. 57 ranking for her 82.9 free-throw percentage.
Three Point Streak
The Racers currently have the No. 10 active three-point scoring streak in NCAA DI women's basketball, at 314 games. The streak dates back to Nov. 27, 1999 against Belmont. Canisus College is leading the list, with an NCAA-record 479-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 (368).
Up Next
The Racers will host Eastern Illinois in the final regular-season game at the Regional Special Events Center, Saturday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. The game is the annual Senior Day, when MSU will honor this season's three seniors; Mallory Luckett, Jasmyne Thornton and Kayla Vance, prior to the start of the game.
Noteables
The Racers are currently a 1/2 game out of fourth place in the OVC standings and 1 and 1/2 games out of eighth...MSU went 14-of-15 from the charity stripe at Jacksonville State…the .933 percentage ties for the 10th best free-throw percentage in school history…sophomore Rachael Isom started the streak on the free-throw line for the Racers, by taking and making the first five free throws…senior Mallory Luckett and Isom both have double-digit free-throw streaks going…Luckett has made her last 11, while Isom has connected on her last 10…the Racers committed just nine turnovers against the Gamecocks, including just three in the second half of play…the first did not come until there was 11:32 left to play on a jump ball call that went in favor of JSU.
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