Racers Set to Host Skyhawks at CFSB Center

Game 21
Murray State (6-14, 2-7 OVC) vs. UT Martin (12-8, 7-2 OVC)
Location: Murray, Ky.
Arena: CFSB Center
Time: 5:15 p.m.

The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team will begin the second round of Ohio Valley Conference action this Saturday, Jan. 29 against UT Martin. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. at the CFSB Center.

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Scouting UT Martin
The Skyhawks have been idle for a week, since earning an 80-78 decision over Eastern Illinois. The win moved UTM to 12-8 overall and 7-2 in league action. The Skyhawks have struggled on the road this season, with a 6-8 mark.

UTM has two-main threats in Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome. Butler averaged 19.8 points per game and is shooting at a .408 mark from the field and .382 clip from beyond the arc. She also adds 64 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. Newsome is contributing 17.9 points per outing, making 42.9 percent of her overall shots and 31.0 percent of those from three-point range. She has also tallied 68 assists and 47 steals. The duo account for 50 percent of the shots taken by the Skyhawks and 47 percent of the triples.

UTM is close to its opponents in all statisitical categories, with a +0.5 advantage in scoring average and a +1.2 lead in rebounding. The team has one main rebounder in Jaclissa Haislip (8.3/gm), but the rest of the team averages between zero and three rebounds per game.

The Skyhawks are a more offensive team in the second half of play. UTM has tallied 144 more points in the second stanza and allowed 107 more to be scored by its opponents.

Against the Skyhawks
UTM earned a win in the first meeting with the Racers this season in Martin, Tenn., 89-78. Both teams had strong shooting nights, with the Skyhawks earning a slight advantage. UTM made 50 percent of its overall and three-point shots on the night, while MSU hit 42.6 percent of its overall shots. The key differences in the game were three-point shots made (UTM-14/MSU-5) and rebounds (UTM-43/MSU-32).

Jessica Winfrey led the team with her second double-double of the season (16 points, 10 rebounds), shot at a .600 mark and added four assists and two steals. Mariah Robinson garnered a team-high 19 points, while Tessa Elkins added 10 points.

Heather Butler was key for the Skyhawks, with 37 points, including seven three's. Jasmine Newsome added 21 points and Alecia Weatherly was the leading rebounder, with 12.

The Series
The Racers currently hold a slight lead in the all-time series, 32-30. However, the Skyhawks have been the victors in the last two games. MSU had a streak of six-games won before the last two. The Racers are 18-11 when playing in Murray and have not lost at home since 2003.

Consecutive Double-Doubles
Red-shirt freshman Jessica Winfrey became the first player since Ashley N. Hayes to record consecutive double-doubles when she earned her fifth of the season and second-straight against Southeast Missouri (14 pts., 10 reb.). Hayes was the last to record consecutive double-doubles when she tallied four from Feb. 12, 2009 to Feb. 21, 2009. A third straight would add Winfrey's name to the No. 6 spot on the Racers list of all-time consecutive double-doubles. Stephanie Minor leads that list, having recorded seven straight twice in her career.

Double Double-Double Night
In the win over Eastern Illinois (Jan. 20), the Racers had two players earn double-doubles for the first time since Dec. 18, 2008 when Ashley N. Hayes (14 pts., 12 reb.) and Amber Guffey (20 pts., 11 reb.) each had one. Sophomore Mariah Robinson earned her first career double-double, with 29 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while red-shirt freshman Jessica Winfrey earned her fourth of the season (11 pts., 10 reb.)

Robinson Earns OVC Honors
Sophomore Mariah Robinson was named the adidas OVC Player of the Week for Jan. 17 after an outstanding weekend performance. The honor marks the third for the Beaver Dam, Ky., native in her career and the first for a Racer this season.

Robinson had the night of her career against Jacksonville State (Jan. 13), with 44 points, nine three-point shots, eight rebounds and three assists. She followed that performance up with 19 points against TTU and ended the weekend shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Robinson Raining Three's
Sophomore Mariah Robinson had the game of her career Thursday in Jacksonville, Ala. The Beaver Dam, Ky., native recorded the second-most points in school history (44) and tallied a school-record nine three pointers. The previous record was set by Megan Fuqua and her current coach Ashley B. Hayes (8). Robinson also added a career-best nine free throws and 13 field goals. She was not just a scoring threat for MSU in the game, as she added eight rebounds and three assists.

Elkins Elevating Performance
After playing sparingly in the first few games of the season, sophomore Tessa Elkins has become a key reserve in the lineup and earned her first starting role against the Gamecocks. Elkins has played double-digit minutes since the Dec. 22 game at UT Martin and has recorded 10-or-more points in five of those outings. She has recorded season-bests in all categories, including a career-high 13 points against Tennessee Tech and four steals and seven free throws against Austin Peay.

Racking Up the Rebounds
Red-shirt freshman Jessica Winfrey was ratcheting up her rebounding numbers from Dec. 18-Jan. 4. Winfrey garnered at least 10 rebounds during the four games, making her the first player since Ashley N. Hayes had the same streak in the 2008-09 season. She is also just the fourth MSU player to accomplish the feat since the 1996-97 campaign. Danelle Watts had a series of four games with 10+ boards in the 1998-99 season and Stephanie Minor went six and seven games in-a-row during the 1996-97 campaign.

Mary Moving In
Freshman Mary Jehlik has earned a starting role in the last five games. The Mount Sterling, Ky., native has tallied career bests in points, rebounding, assists, free throws and shooting percentage since her advancement on the bench. She recorded a career-high eight rebounds against IUPUI, and has increased her scoring best to 14. She also tallied career highs of four assists and free throws against the Jaguars.

Jessica Jumping Right In
Red-shirt freshman Jessica Winfrey has been a stable force for the Racers in her first season on the court. The Marion, Ark., native is first on the team in rebounding, averaging 8.6 boards per game, and third in scoring (9.9 ppg). She has tallied four double-doubles, including her latest versus EIU. Her talents on the court have led to her scoring at least one point and adding at least one rebound in every Racers game this season, while also recording 18 steals and six blocks.

No Senior Leadership
After fighting through an injury plagued year in 2009-10 the Murray State women's basketball team will be in a select group of NCAA DI teams this season that will allow them to use the drive and determination they discovered last year, as the roster has no seniors listed. The Racers are one of seven programs in the country with no seniors on the 2010-11 roster.

The youthful roster has just nine years of NCAA collegiate experience on it, which ranks third among OVC teams for the least amount of NCAA collegiate experience. The only teams with fewer years of experience than the Racers are UT Martin (3) and Eastern Illinois (8).

Up Next
MSU will return to the road next weekend for OVC games against Tennessee State (Feb. 3) and Austin Peay (Feb. 5). The game against the Lady Tigers has been changed from a 5:30 p.m. start to a 5:15 p.m. tip.

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