MURRAY, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University’s women’s basketball team will open Ohio Valley Conference play on Thursday when the Lady Colonels face Murray State University at the Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EKU (4-1) is coming off an 85-71 win over Alabama State in the third place game at the Taco Bell Warhawk Classic in Monroe, La.
The game against the Racers (4-2) marks the first of four straight conference games for Eastern Kentucky. After playing Murray State, the Lady Colonels will move down Interstate 24 to Clarksville, Tenn., for a game against Austin Peay on Saturday. Following a week off for finals, EKU will close out the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule with a pair of league home games against Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Illinois.
Against Alabama State, senior guard Niki Avery scored a game-high 18 points and freshman Lindsey Waters recorded her first career double-double. Waters finished with career bests 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Ashley Cazee scored 17 points and handed out four assists. Shavonne Jones with 11 points gave Eastern four double-digit scorers.
Crystal Jones dished out a game-high five assists and finished with seven points. The senior was selected to the all-tournament team after averaging 12 points, 4.5 assists and three rebounds in two tournament games.
Murray State has wins over Bethel (Tenn.), Alabama State, Delaware and Miami (Ohio). The Racers two loses have come on the road to Missouri and UT Chattanooga.
MSU is led by the play of Amber Guffey, Ashley Hayes and Shaleea Petty. Guffey is averaging an OVC best 19 points per game, in addition to four rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. She is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from three-point range. Hayes is averaging a double-double with 14.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. Petty averages 11.5 points per game.
In their last game, the Racers trailed by 14 points midway through the first half, but used a 20-5 run midway through the second half to take the lead and the game from visiting Miami (Ohio), winning 81-72 and notching the team’s ninth straight home win.
Hayes had 23 points and nine boards. All five starters scored in double figures, but the Murray State bench scored only one point.
Eastern Kentucky is 17-8 all-time in OVC openers. The Lady Colonels are 5-1 in their last six conference openers with the only loss coming last season against Murray State on Dec. 7, 2006.
