Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Austin Peay
Players Mentioned
Battle of the Border II - MSU hosts APSU
2/10/2017 1:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Date/Time: Feb. 11/5 p.m.
Site: Murray, Ky. – CFSB Center
Opponent (Record): Austin Peay (12-12, 6-5 OVC)
Murray State Record: 13-11, 5-6 OVC
Watch Live: OVC Digital Network
Listen Live: Froggy 103.7 FM
Live Stats
All-Time vs. APSU: Murray State leads the all-time series 49-45
Last Meeting: MSU 63, APSU 75 – Jan. 21, 2017
The Murray State women concludes its three-game homestand Saturday as the Racers host Austin Peay in the two's second Heritage Bank Battle of the Border matchup this season. APSU won the first contest earlier this season in Clarksville, Tenn., 75-63. Ke'Shunan James led MSU with 20 points in the loss.
The Racers are looking to extend their home winning streak against the Governors to five straight. Currently, MSU sits a game behind Austin Peay for fourth in the OVC standings. MSU is coming off a 70-64 victory over Eastern Kentucky Monday at "The Bank". James and LeAsia Wright led the Racers with 21 points each on the night. It was the eighth time this season that the duo has gone for 20-plus in the same game. James currently leads the OVC in scoring at 19.5 points per game while Wright is fifth at 15.5 per.
Wright is just 60 points shy of becoming the 20th member of the 1,000-point club in program history and the second to reach the milestone this season. In order to reach the mark, Wright needs to average 12 points per game in the final five regular season games for the Racers. Wright is currently averaging 15.5 points per game this season.
Austin Peay is led by the league's second-leading scorer in Tearra Banks who is averaging 19 points per game this season. Banks leads the Governors with 7.6 rebounds per game and is averaging an OVC-high 61.8 percent field goal percentage. Banks is the only Gov to average in double figures this season. Beth Rates is second on the team averaging 8.8 points per game and Falon Baker is third at 7.5 per. As a team, APSU is shooting nearly 42 percent from the floor and 29 percent from 3-point range. The Governors are 3-7 on the road this season, including 2-3 in OVC road contests.
Saturday will be a Heritage Bank Battle of the Border contest. The Battle of the Border is an annual rivalry between these two longtime OVC rivals. Points are awarded for each head-to-head regular season matchup, or, if no head-to-head contest occurs, points will be awarded based on the team finish at the OVC Championships. There is also a donor and community service component. The 67 points of the annual competition represents the 67 miles separating the two institutions. A traveling trophy will be awarded to the winning school each year. The Racers currently have a 16.5- to 7.5-point lead.
