Murray State University Athletics
Saturday, January 21
Edwardsville, Ill.
1:00 PM
Murray State
at
SIU Edwardsville
Photo by: Tab Brockman
Racers Travel for First OVC Game Against SIU Edwarsville
1/19/2012 2:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Murray State (6-11, 3-3 OVC) at SIU Edwardsville (10-7, 2-1 OVC)
Saturday - 1 p.m.
Vadalabene Center
Edwardsville, Ill.
Game Notes I Listen Live I Watch Live I Live Stats
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team will hit the road for a single Ohio Valley Conference game, Saturday, Jan. 21 at SIU Edwardsville. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill.
Scouting SIU Edwardsville
The Cougars are 10-7 overall and 4-2 in OVC action so far this season after winning their last two games.
SIUE has four main players that are all averaging around nine or 10 points per game. Michaela Herrod is the team's leader, with 10.4 points per game. Herrod also adds 7.3 rebounds and is shooting at a .389 mark. Raven Berry is the team's leading rebounder, with 8.1 boards per game, and adds 9.8 points and a .484 shooting percentage. Katie Hempen and Jazmin Hill are the other players with nine points per game and are two of the team's top shooters. Hempen is averaging 9.7 points per outing and is shooting at a .416 mark from the field and .302 from beyond the arc. Hill is netting 9.0 points per game on a .356 overall shooting percentage and a team-best .383 mark from three-point range.
As a whole, the Cougars are a strong shooting team, with an average of 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc. SIUE allows its opponents to hit at a .417 overall clip and a .332 mark from three-point range. The Cougars are close in most of the other statistical categories, with just a +0.9 scoring margin and a -1.7 rebounding margin.
The Series
This will be just the sixth meeting in the all-time series, but it will be the first official OVC game between the Racers and the Cougars. SIUE is in their final year of NCAA DI transition and the team is competing in a full OVC regular-season schedule, but will not be eligible to compete in the OVC or NCAA tournaments until the 2012-13 campaign. MSU has struggled to win in Edwardsville, going 0-2 in the meetings on the road and 3-0 when playing in Murray.
Six-Time OVC Player of the Week
For the sixth time this season, red-shirt sophomore Erica Burgess was named the adidas Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, for Jan. 17.
The Memphis, Tenn., native recorded 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the Racers victories over Tennessee Tech (76-72) and Jacksonville State (73-57) last week. The guard scored 17 points and brought down a career-best nine rebounds versus the Gamecocks. She also had 18 points against the Golden Eagles. She went 12-for-14 at the free throw line for the week.
Nifty-Fifty
Head Coach Rob Cross reached his first coaching win milestone with the Racers, 76-72, win over Tennessee Tech at the CFSB Center, Jan. 14, 2012. The win gave the fourth-year head coach his 50th career win in just his 108th game coached.
Shaking Up the Line-Up
The Racers have now used eight different starting line-ups this season, the third most for a Division I team this season. MSU has also started nine of their 12 players on the team, with only Erica Burgess earning a starting role in all 15 games this season.
Making Move Up or On Top-10 Lists
Three members of the team are currently on or close to making their mark on three top-10 lists at MSU. Junior Mariah Robinson is currently ranked No. 2 on the three's made chart, with 146. She is 64 from No. 1 (210-Amber Guffey). Senior Kayla Lowe also joined Robinson on the list, with her 108 career triples, for the No. 10 spot. She is three from No. 9 (111-Jennifer Parker).
Fellow senior Mallory Schwab is also making an effort to get on a top-10 list, blocks. The Martinsville, Ind., native has 45 blocks to her name and the chart start at 46 (four players).
1,000 Point Club Membership
Junior Mariah Robinson is cruising along to a membership in the 1,000 Point Club at Murray State. The Beaver Dam, Ky., native is looking to become the 18th member of the club and would be the ninth Racer to do so during her junior campaign. Robinson currently has 930 points, just 70 away from the milestone and is averaging 15.26points per game this season.
Three Point Season
The Racers have made 131 triples this season, 56.5 percent of the school record for the most three's in a season (232). MSU has a season-high of 15 made in a single game (vs. Mid-Con) and has recorded the same or more triples than its opponents in every game this season. Of the 12 active players on the team, only one has not attempted a shot from beyond the arc and 7-of-11 have made at least one.
Taking Charge of Monday Night
After spending most of the first half of the season on the road the Racers are finally returning home and Monday nights are a big part of the action. Each Monday night for six weeks (Jan. 9-Feb. 13) MSU's women's basketball team will be hosting a game at the CFSB Center.
When the OVC schedule changed to have Saturday-Monday games for the women's teams in the conference the league implemented “Taking Charge of Monday Night” where each team is featured on OVCSports.com and the game they are playing will be featured free on OVCSports.TV. The Feb. 16 game against UTM is the Racers featured night.
Going for No. 500
The Racers are currently 495-640-2 in their 47th season of basketball. With six more wins the team will record its 500 victory. The 500th win for MSU would make the Racers the sixth team in the conference to record over 500 wins. MSU would join Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, SIU Edwardsville and Tennessee Tech in the club.
High Pressure Defense
The new high-pressure defense that the Racers are playing this season has forced three of their opponents into 30+ turnovers and seven more into 20+ turnovers. This is the first time since at least 1996-97, when individual game stats are available, that the team has forced more than one opponent into 30+ turnovers. The most forced during that span was 39 (Nov. 18, 2009) by Mid-Continent. So far this season MSU has forced Mid-Con into 33, Ball State into 32 and Evansville into 31. Overall the Racers have forced 339 turnovers and have committed just 265.
Jessica's Missing for the Season
Both of the Racers players named Jessica, Jessica Winfrey and Jessica Holder, will miss the 2011-12 campaign due to injury. Winfrey was a key starter for the Racers last year, while Holder was sidelined for most of the 2010-11 campaign due to injury as well.
Up Next
The Racers will return home for their final non-conference home game of the 2011-12 season, Jan. 23 when Longwood comes to the CFSB Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off. MSU will then compete in its final regular-season non-conference game Jan. 26 at Southern Illinois (7:05 p.m.)
Saturday - 1 p.m.
Vadalabene Center
Edwardsville, Ill.
Game Notes I Listen Live I Watch Live I Live Stats
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team will hit the road for a single Ohio Valley Conference game, Saturday, Jan. 21 at SIU Edwardsville. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill.
Scouting SIU Edwardsville
The Cougars are 10-7 overall and 4-2 in OVC action so far this season after winning their last two games.
SIUE has four main players that are all averaging around nine or 10 points per game. Michaela Herrod is the team's leader, with 10.4 points per game. Herrod also adds 7.3 rebounds and is shooting at a .389 mark. Raven Berry is the team's leading rebounder, with 8.1 boards per game, and adds 9.8 points and a .484 shooting percentage. Katie Hempen and Jazmin Hill are the other players with nine points per game and are two of the team's top shooters. Hempen is averaging 9.7 points per outing and is shooting at a .416 mark from the field and .302 from beyond the arc. Hill is netting 9.0 points per game on a .356 overall shooting percentage and a team-best .383 mark from three-point range.
As a whole, the Cougars are a strong shooting team, with an average of 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc. SIUE allows its opponents to hit at a .417 overall clip and a .332 mark from three-point range. The Cougars are close in most of the other statistical categories, with just a +0.9 scoring margin and a -1.7 rebounding margin.
The Series
This will be just the sixth meeting in the all-time series, but it will be the first official OVC game between the Racers and the Cougars. SIUE is in their final year of NCAA DI transition and the team is competing in a full OVC regular-season schedule, but will not be eligible to compete in the OVC or NCAA tournaments until the 2012-13 campaign. MSU has struggled to win in Edwardsville, going 0-2 in the meetings on the road and 3-0 when playing in Murray.
Six-Time OVC Player of the Week
For the sixth time this season, red-shirt sophomore Erica Burgess was named the adidas Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, for Jan. 17.
The Memphis, Tenn., native recorded 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the Racers victories over Tennessee Tech (76-72) and Jacksonville State (73-57) last week. The guard scored 17 points and brought down a career-best nine rebounds versus the Gamecocks. She also had 18 points against the Golden Eagles. She went 12-for-14 at the free throw line for the week.
Nifty-Fifty
Head Coach Rob Cross reached his first coaching win milestone with the Racers, 76-72, win over Tennessee Tech at the CFSB Center, Jan. 14, 2012. The win gave the fourth-year head coach his 50th career win in just his 108th game coached.
Shaking Up the Line-Up
The Racers have now used eight different starting line-ups this season, the third most for a Division I team this season. MSU has also started nine of their 12 players on the team, with only Erica Burgess earning a starting role in all 15 games this season.
Making Move Up or On Top-10 Lists
Three members of the team are currently on or close to making their mark on three top-10 lists at MSU. Junior Mariah Robinson is currently ranked No. 2 on the three's made chart, with 146. She is 64 from No. 1 (210-Amber Guffey). Senior Kayla Lowe also joined Robinson on the list, with her 108 career triples, for the No. 10 spot. She is three from No. 9 (111-Jennifer Parker).
Fellow senior Mallory Schwab is also making an effort to get on a top-10 list, blocks. The Martinsville, Ind., native has 45 blocks to her name and the chart start at 46 (four players).
1,000 Point Club Membership
Junior Mariah Robinson is cruising along to a membership in the 1,000 Point Club at Murray State. The Beaver Dam, Ky., native is looking to become the 18th member of the club and would be the ninth Racer to do so during her junior campaign. Robinson currently has 930 points, just 70 away from the milestone and is averaging 15.26points per game this season.
Three Point Season
The Racers have made 131 triples this season, 56.5 percent of the school record for the most three's in a season (232). MSU has a season-high of 15 made in a single game (vs. Mid-Con) and has recorded the same or more triples than its opponents in every game this season. Of the 12 active players on the team, only one has not attempted a shot from beyond the arc and 7-of-11 have made at least one.
Taking Charge of Monday Night
After spending most of the first half of the season on the road the Racers are finally returning home and Monday nights are a big part of the action. Each Monday night for six weeks (Jan. 9-Feb. 13) MSU's women's basketball team will be hosting a game at the CFSB Center.
When the OVC schedule changed to have Saturday-Monday games for the women's teams in the conference the league implemented “Taking Charge of Monday Night” where each team is featured on OVCSports.com and the game they are playing will be featured free on OVCSports.TV. The Feb. 16 game against UTM is the Racers featured night.
Going for No. 500
The Racers are currently 495-640-2 in their 47th season of basketball. With six more wins the team will record its 500 victory. The 500th win for MSU would make the Racers the sixth team in the conference to record over 500 wins. MSU would join Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, SIU Edwardsville and Tennessee Tech in the club.
High Pressure Defense
The new high-pressure defense that the Racers are playing this season has forced three of their opponents into 30+ turnovers and seven more into 20+ turnovers. This is the first time since at least 1996-97, when individual game stats are available, that the team has forced more than one opponent into 30+ turnovers. The most forced during that span was 39 (Nov. 18, 2009) by Mid-Continent. So far this season MSU has forced Mid-Con into 33, Ball State into 32 and Evansville into 31. Overall the Racers have forced 339 turnovers and have committed just 265.
Jessica's Missing for the Season
Both of the Racers players named Jessica, Jessica Winfrey and Jessica Holder, will miss the 2011-12 campaign due to injury. Winfrey was a key starter for the Racers last year, while Holder was sidelined for most of the 2010-11 campaign due to injury as well.
Up Next
The Racers will return home for their final non-conference home game of the 2011-12 season, Jan. 23 when Longwood comes to the CFSB Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off. MSU will then compete in its final regular-season non-conference game Jan. 26 at Southern Illinois (7:05 p.m.)
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