Racers Host Redhawks for End of First Half of OVC Action

Saturday, January 22

CFSB Center

5:15 p.m.

Murray State

Southeast Missouri

Red-shirt freshman Jessica Winfrey was one of two players to record a double-double against Eastern Illinois.

Photo by: Tab Brockman

Racers Host Redhawks for End of First Half of OVC Action

1/21/2011 3:36:59 PM | Women's Basketball

Game 19
Murray State (6-12, 2-6 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (6-12, 2-6 OVC)
Location: Murray, Ky.
Arena: CFSB Center
Time: 5:15 p.m.

The Game
The Murray State women's basketball team will face its final new opponent of the 2010-11 regular season when Southeast Missouri heads to the CFSB Center to wrap up the first half of Ohio Valley Conference action. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 22.

Game Notes
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Scouting Southeast Missouri
The Redhawks are have the same record as the Racers heading into Saturday's game (6-12, 2-6 OVC) after dropping a decision to UT Martin Wednesday.

SEMO has five players that average between six and 10 points per game, but Katie Norman is the lone player with a double-digit average. Norman leads the team with 10.0 points per game and adds 4.1 rebounds. She is also one of the Redhawks most consistent shooters, with a .421 overall mark and a .318 mark from three-point range. Brittany Harriel is also a key player for SEMO, with 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She is the other key shooter, with 42.9 and 33.3 percentages. Bailie Roberts is also a player to watch, with 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per outing.

The Redhawks are averaging just 53.2 points per game and allows 65.4 (-12.2). The team is also being out-rebounded by over eight boards per game (32.3 to 41.0). SEMO is trailing its opponents in all the statistical categories on the box score, with its closest average coming in blocks (2.6 to 2.9).

Against the Redhawks
A season ago, the Racers earned wins in both regular-season meetings with SEMO and out-scored them by an average of 13.5 (75.5 to 62.0). The teams were even in the rebounding column (40.5/gm). MSU earned key advantages in shooting percentage and blocks. The Racers shot 43.8 percent from the field to the Redhawks 35.7, averaged 9.5 triples per game to 5.5 and made them at a .345 to .314 mark. MSU also blocked an average of six of SEMO's shots per game, while having just 1.5 of their own knocked away.

The top returners in the series for the Racers are Rachael Isom, Kayla Lowe and Mariah Robinson. Isom netted 9.0 points and 4.5 boards per game, while Lowe contributed 9.0 points per game. Robinson added 7.0 points and shot at a .545 mark.

Key returners for the Redhawks are Bailie Roberts and Katie Norman. Roberts tallied 11 points and four rebounds per game, while Norman added 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per outing.

The Series
SEMO holds a 31-19 advantage in the all-time series, with four of MSU's wins coming in the last three seasons. The Racers are 12-10 when playing in Murray, Ky., and have a 6-4 lead in the last 10 games.

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.

Putting It All Together
The Racers had a season-best game against the Jaguars, with the largest win of the season. The 29- point win was not the only season-best for MSU. The Racers shot 50.9 percent overall and 47.4 percent from three-point range. The percentage from the field was a season-best, while the mark from beyond the arc was the second-best this year. MSU also out-rebounded IUPUI by 15, the largest margin in 2010-11, and recorded a season-high nine triples.

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 travel to SIU Edwardsville for the final non-conference game of the regular season, Jan. 25 at the Vadalabene Center at 7 p.m.