Thursday, February 23, 2012

Lady Tigers conclude regular season by hosting Murray State



 THE LADY TIGERS AT A GLANCE

Tennessee State (9-18, 5-10 OVC) snapped a five-game losing skid with Saturday's, 61-59, win over Jacksonville State in the Gentry Center. TSU sits in eighth place in the OVC standings. With a 6-6 home record this season, the Lady Tigers will look to move to above .500 with a win over Murray State.     

As a team, TSU is averaging 68.0 points per outing while shooting 36.8 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc. TSU is currently shooting only 64.8 percent from the free-throw line while committing an average of 18.0 turnovers per game. TSU averages 43.4 rebounds, 13.0 assists and 8.0 steals per game.

EVERY GAME MATTERS

With the OVC tournament less than two weeks away, every game is crucial. The Lady Tigers are in the play-off race and are looking to remain in the top eight with wins down the stretch.

LAST TIME OUT

Tennessee State snapped a five-game skid with a, 61-59, win over Jacksonville State Saturday in the Gentry Center. TSU led, 26-23, at the break before holding on for the victory. Chelsea Hudson led TSU and recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 18 rebounds.  

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Murray State is coming off a, 91-67, loss to UT Martin State at home on Monday night. MSU has dropped two straight contests and has an OVC mark of 7-7. The Racers sit in sixth place in league standings.   
In MSU's most recent loss to UT Martin, three players scored in double-figures led by Erica Burgess' 27 points. Kalya Lowe and Mallory Schwab rounded out the top three scorers for the Racers with 14 points each. Tessa Elkins led Murray State with nine rebounds. 

Overall, the Racers average 68.1 points per game behind a .351 field goal percentage (.276 three-point range). Erica Burgess leads the team with 16.7 points per game while Mariah Robinson (13.7 ppg) and Kayla Lowe (11.3 ppg) round out the top three scorers for JSU.

TSU vs. MURRAY STATE

Tennessee State and Murray State will meet for the 50th time in the series history with the Racers holding a, 30-19, advantage. The Racers claimed the first meeting of the season, 66-56, in the CFSB Center earlier this month. 

LAST TIME THEY MET (Feb. 6, 2012)

The Tennessee State University women's basketball team couldn't hold off a late second half run by Murray State as the Racers defeated the Lady Tigers, 66-56, Monday night in the CFSB Center.
In a game that featured nine ties and six lead changes, Murray State used a 17-9 run down the stretch to come away with the victory.

Tennessee State (8-17, 4-9 OVC) was led in scoring by Jasmin Shuler's 14 points while Rachel Allen added 10. Simone Hopes nearly recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points.

Murray State (10-14, 6-5 OVC) had three players to register double-digits led by Erica Burgess' 16. Tessa Elkins had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Kyra Watson followed with 10 points.
TSU struggled offensively and shot 28.0 percent (21-of-75) from the field including 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from the three-point line. The Lady Tigers also stumbled at the free-throw line, only connecting on 66.7 percent of their attempts.

Murray State knocked down nearly 40 percent of its shots (39.1) from the field and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc.
 
COVERAGE

TSU vs. Murray State will be shown on OVCsports.tv. Live stats will be available at tsutigers.com while fans can listen live at tsuradio.com.

TEAM LEADERS

Jasmin Shuler leads TSU in scoring with 15.1 ppg while Tayla Foster (9.8 ppg) and Destiney Gaston (7.3 ppg) round out the top three scorers for the Lady Tigers. Foster is pulling down a team-best 5.1 rebounds per game while Simone Hopes grabs 4.7 rpg. Rachel Allen leads the team in assists while Gaston also paces TSU with 30 blocks.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The first round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Feb. 29. The tournament will continue through, Saturday March 3.

 
COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VISIT: TSUTIGERS.COM
VISIT: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

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