Murray State University Athletics
Monday, January 23
CFSB Center
7:00 PM
Murray State
vs
Longwood
Photo by: Tab Brockman
Racers Host Non-Conference Longwood at the CFSB Center
1/22/2012 1:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Murray State (7-11, 4-3 OVC) vs. Longwood (5-17)
Monday - 7 p.m.
CFSB Center
Murray, Ky.
Game Notes I Listen Live I Watch Live I Live Stats
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team has a week off of Ohio Valley Conference action, but they will not be idle. The Racers will play their first of two non-conference games over the next week, Monday, Jan. 23 when they host Longwood at the CFSB Center for a 7 p.m. game.
Scouting Longwood
The Lancers are currently 5-17 overall and do not have a conference record, as they are currently a NCAA DI Independent team. Longwood earned an 86-76 win over Dartmouth at home in its last outing (Jan. 21). The Racers will be the second team from the OVC that the Lancers have faced this season, after they have already lost to Southeast Missouri (56-52).
Longwood has three key players to watch in Brittanni Billups, Crystal Smith and Erin Neal. Billups averages 11 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while shooting .411 from the field and adding 29 blocks. Smith is netting 9.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per outing and adds 76 assists and 44 steals. Neal is contributing 9.9 points and 2.8 boards per game, shooting .417 from the field, .200 from beyond the arc and adds 39 assists and 37 steals.
The Lancers are trailing their opponents in all statistical categories except blocks this season. Longwood is recording 4.2 blocks per game and allowing 3.5. Their biggest disadvantages are in points (-16.0), rebounds (-7.9) and shooting percentage (.333 to .400).
The games that the Lancers have played in this season have a much heavier scoring in the second stanza. Longwood has tallied 103 more points and allowed 96 more.
The Series
The game at the CFSB Center will be the first meeting between the Racers and the Lancers in school history. This is the second team that MSU has faced for the first time this season, with the other being Cleveland State (L, 68-61 OT).
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 (Thursday) game against UTM is the Racers featured night.
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 149. She is 61 from No. 1 (210-Amber Guffey). Senior Kayla Lowe also joined Robinson on the list, with her 110 career triples, for the No. 10 spot. She is one from No. 9 (111-Jennifer Parker).
Fellow senior Mallory Schwab also earned her way onto the blocks top-10 list. The Martinsville, Ind., native has 46 blocks and is tied with four players for No. 10. She needs two more to move up to No. 9 (48-Angela Brown).
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 943 points, just 57 away from the milestone and is averaging 15.5 points per game this season.
Three Point Season
The Racers have made 141 triples this season, 60.8 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.
Going for No. 500
The Racers are currently 496-640-2 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
MSU will compete in its final regular-season non-conference game Jan. 26 at Southern Illinois (7:05 p.m.).
Quick Notes
Junior Candace Nevels returned to the court after missing eight games...Nevels tallied three points and added two rebounds...the win that the Racers earned at SIUE as the first in Edwardsville, Ill., in the all-time series.
Monday - 7 p.m.
CFSB Center
Murray, Ky.
Game Notes I Listen Live I Watch Live I Live Stats
The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team has a week off of Ohio Valley Conference action, but they will not be idle. The Racers will play their first of two non-conference games over the next week, Monday, Jan. 23 when they host Longwood at the CFSB Center for a 7 p.m. game.
Scouting Longwood
The Lancers are currently 5-17 overall and do not have a conference record, as they are currently a NCAA DI Independent team. Longwood earned an 86-76 win over Dartmouth at home in its last outing (Jan. 21). The Racers will be the second team from the OVC that the Lancers have faced this season, after they have already lost to Southeast Missouri (56-52).
Longwood has three key players to watch in Brittanni Billups, Crystal Smith and Erin Neal. Billups averages 11 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while shooting .411 from the field and adding 29 blocks. Smith is netting 9.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per outing and adds 76 assists and 44 steals. Neal is contributing 9.9 points and 2.8 boards per game, shooting .417 from the field, .200 from beyond the arc and adds 39 assists and 37 steals.
The Lancers are trailing their opponents in all statistical categories except blocks this season. Longwood is recording 4.2 blocks per game and allowing 3.5. Their biggest disadvantages are in points (-16.0), rebounds (-7.9) and shooting percentage (.333 to .400).
The games that the Lancers have played in this season have a much heavier scoring in the second stanza. Longwood has tallied 103 more points and allowed 96 more.
The Series
The game at the CFSB Center will be the first meeting between the Racers and the Lancers in school history. This is the second team that MSU has faced for the first time this season, with the other being Cleveland State (L, 68-61 OT).
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 (Thursday) game against UTM is the Racers featured night.
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 149. She is 61 from No. 1 (210-Amber Guffey). Senior Kayla Lowe also joined Robinson on the list, with her 110 career triples, for the No. 10 spot. She is one from No. 9 (111-Jennifer Parker).
Fellow senior Mallory Schwab also earned her way onto the blocks top-10 list. The Martinsville, Ind., native has 46 blocks and is tied with four players for No. 10. She needs two more to move up to No. 9 (48-Angela Brown).
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 943 points, just 57 away from the milestone and is averaging 15.5 points per game this season.
Three Point Season
The Racers have made 141 triples this season, 60.8 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.
Going for No. 500
The Racers are currently 496-640-2 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
MSU will compete in its final regular-season non-conference game Jan. 26 at Southern Illinois (7:05 p.m.).
Quick Notes
Junior Candace Nevels returned to the court after missing eight games...Nevels tallied three points and added two rebounds...the win that the Racers earned at SIUE as the first in Edwardsville, Ill., in the all-time series.
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