Racers Headed to Nashville to Face Tennessee State

Murray State (11-16, 7-7 OVC) at Tennessee State (9-18, 5-10 OVC)
Thursday - 4 p.m.
Gentry Center
Nashville, Tenn.

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The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team will hit the road for the final two games of the 2011-12 regular season, with its first stop in Nashville, Tenn., to face Tennessee State, Thursday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. in the Gentry Center.

Scouting Tennessee State
The Lady Tigers are 9-18 overall and 5-10 in the OVC after snapping a five-game losing streak with a 61-59 win over Jacksonville State (Feb. 18).

TSU has one key player that accounts for 22 percent of the Lady Tigers' made shots and 43 percent of their made triples. Jasmin Shuler is averaging 15.0 points per game, shooting .328 (145-of-442) from the field and .318 (68-of-214) from three-point range. She also adds 46 assists and 29 steals.

The rest of the team averages around 1-9 points per game and the whole team averages between 1-5 rebounds per outing. Chelsea Hudson leads the team with 4.9 boards per game, and recently tallied 18 against JSU.

The Lady Tigers trail in all statistical categories on the season box score, with their largest deficits in scoring and shooting percentages. TSU is averaging 7.2 fewer points than the opposition this season and is connecting on just 36.8 percent of their overall shots to 41.3 percent by the other teams. The difference is a little smaller in triple percentages, at .281 to .316, but both teams average around 5.5 triples made per game.

Against the Lady Tigers
Just three games ago, the Racers claimed a 66-56 win over Tennessee State at the CFSB Center (Feb. 6).

The Racers were led by junior TeACssa Elkins, who tallied her first career double-double. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native garnered 14 points and added a season-best 10 rebounds. Red-shirt sophomore Erica Burgess added 16 points and seven boards, while junior Kyra Watson contributed 10 points and five rebounds.

The Lady Tigers saw top performances from Jasmin Shuler and Rachael Allen. Shuler garnered 14 points, while Allen added 10 points and six boards.

Shooting percentages and three-point shots were the keys to the win for MSU. The Racers shot 39.1 percent from the field (25-of-64) to TSU's 28 percent (21-of-75). MSU also hit seven triples to the Lady Tigers four.

The Series
The Racers currently own a 31-20 advantage in the all-time series. The series is much closer when playing in Nashville, Tenn., with MSU holding just a 13-12 lead. TSU has won the last two games at the Gentry Center, with the last Racer win on the road coming Feb. 4, 2009.

OVC Tournament Hopes
The Racers have already secured a spot in the eight-team Ohio Valley Conference Championship, Feb. 29-March 3 in Nashville, Tenn., at Municipal Arena. MSU can finish anywhere from fourth to sixth in the standings after its two games this weekend. The Racers are currently tied with Eastern Kentucky for the No. 4 spot, with Morehead State close behind the pair. The trip to the tournament is the 14th-consecutive appearance for the Racers and the 19th overall. No matter where they are seeded MSU will have its highest seed since claiming the No. 1 spot in 2009. If MSU can earn the No. 4 spot the team will earn a first-round bye in the tournament and not play until March 1, if not they will play their first game Feb. 29.

Joining the 500 Club
The Racers became the sixth team from the OVC to record the programs 500th victory when they defeated SEMO, 63-62 in the CFSB Center. The game was also the team's 108th win in the CFSB Center. MSU is now 500-645-2 in their 47th season of basketball. The Racers join Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, SIU Edwardsville and Tennessee Tech in the club.

1,000 Point Club Membership
Junior Mariah Robinson earned her membership in the 1,000 Point Club at Murray State, Feb. 1, 2012 against Morehead State. The Beaver Dam, Ky., native became the 18th member of the club and the ninth Racer to do so during her junior campaign. Robinson took 79 career games to reach the milestone and is the eighth fastest in MSU history. She currently has 1,034 points and is 14th on the career points list at MSU.

Athlete (Year Reached 1,000 Pts.) - Games Taken
Shelia Smith (1986-87) - 57 games
Stephanie Minor (1996-97) - 61 games
Laura Lynn (1979-80) - 66 games
Michelle Wenning (1989-90) - 69 games
Jennifer Parker (1992-93) - 74 games
Amber Guffey (2007-08) - 77 games
Ashley N Hayes (2007-08) - 77 games
Mariah Robinson (2011-12) - 79 games
Jackie Mounts (1977-78) - 80 games

Dynamic Duos
For the second time in the 2011-12 season a duo of players combined for 20+ points each. Senior Mallory Schwab garnered a career-high 26 points and junior Mariah Robinson added 25 against Morehead State. Red-shirt sophomore Erica Burgess (31) and Robinson (21) both had outstanding games for the Racers against Longwood. Burgess also made the Last Time It Happened List by recording 31 points and became the first to tally 30+ points in a game since Robinson recorded 44 at Jacksonville State (1/23/12).

Making Move Up or On Top-10 Lists
Three members of the team are currently on three top-10 lists at MSU. Junior Mariah Robinson is currently ranked No. 2 on the three's made chart, with 164. She is 46 from No. 1 (210-Amber Guffey). Senior Kayla Lowe also joined Robinson on the list, with her 134 career triples, tied for the No. 4 spot. She is five from No. 3 (143-Ashley B. Hayes).

Fellow senior Mallory Schwab also earned her way onto the blocks top-10 list. The Martinsville, Ind., native has 54 blocks and is tied for No. 7. She needs one more to move up to No. 5 (55-Stacy Holmes).

Three Point Season
The Racers have made 204 triples this season, 85.0 percent of the school record for the most three's in a season (232 - 2008-09). This is just the third season that MSU has tallied over 200 three-point shots. The Racers also made 230 in the 2009-10 campaign. 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.

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 11 different starting line-ups this season, the second most for a Division I team this season. The only other team with more this season is Austin Peay with 14 different starting line-up combinations. MSU has also started nine of their 12 players on the team, with only Erica Burgess earning a starting role in all the Racers games this season.

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 eight 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.

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 close out the regular season with a road game at Tennessee Tech (Feb. 25) before heading back to Nashville, Tenn., for the 2012 OVC Championship, Feb. 29-March 3 at Municipal Arena.

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