The Murray State News

Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Elaine Kight Senior Alaina Lee cuts her piece of the net after the Racers' OVC?championship victory against Eastern Illinois Saturday.

Media Credit: Elaine Kight Head Coach Jody Adams celebrates with her team after it clinched the OVC?title. Adams is in her first year with the women's program.

Media Credit: Elaine Kight Senior Shaleea Petty shoots a jumpshot during the championship game.

Media Credit: Elaine Kight Fans cheer for the Racers as the clock winds down against Eastern Illinois.

After 40 minutes of being pushed and shoved by women bigger and taller than her, 5-foot-3-inch senior guard Alaina Lee finally got to be the biggest player on the court - all it took was a ladder.
With scissors in hand, Lee took three of the biggest steps she had taken all season when she climbed the ladder at the end of the Ohio Valley Conference championship game Saturday to become the first Racer to claim a piece of the championship net she had been waiting to cut down all season.
"Everything happened so fast," Lee said, after Saturday's championship game. … "I couldn't believe it, but now I can."
Lee had 15 points in Saturday's game and was one of several heroes who led the Racers to their very first OVC title.
After defeating Morehead State 87-61 in the first round of the conference tournament, March 4, the Racers advanced to the semifinal round of the OVC tournament, held in Nashville, Tenn. There, the team defeated the Samford Bulldogs 68-56, launching Murray State into the championship game of the tournament - somewhere the team has been trying to get back to since last year's two-point loss in the final round to Southeast Missouri State.
After one year, 23 wins and one head coach later, the team tallied a 69-58 win against fourth-seeded Eastern Illinois to bring home the OVC title.
For first-year Head Coach Jody Adams, the championship win was something she knew her team was aiming for from the beginning.
"This started on my interview," Adams said. "If these guys didn't want to win, I didn't want to be at Murray State. They convinced me on my interview and that's when I fell in love with them - I fell in love with this program. I had played against them for the past two years, so I knew what was there and I knew what we had to do."
After her hire April 17, 2007, Adams set her team on the straight and narrow path to the OVC championship, putting defense and rebounding at the top of her team's to-do list.
During the three-game tournament, the Racers out-rebounded their opponents 127-98. On the defensive end, Murray State accumulated 22 total steals, as opposed to 14 total steals from the three opposing teams combined.
While defense has consistently been the emphasis for the Racer squad this year, the team's offense, despite its lack of attention from Adams, has continued to impress opposing teams, fans and ultimately the officials of the OVC. Because of the Racer's potent offense, led by junior Ashley Hayes, OVC officials named Hayes the OVC Player of the Year, Friday.
After Hayes, the league's leading scorer, received word of her honor, she quickly relayed the message to some of her dearest fans.
"(I sent) text messages," Hayes said. " ... I sent two or three forwards to everybody. But I let my mom know and my dad know and my family - they've been rooting for me."
After being named Player of the Year, Hayes received her second honor of the weekend when she was named to the OVC All-Tournament team after Saturday's game. Along with Hayes, senior Shaleea Petty and junior Amber Guffey were also awarded All-Tournament medals.
Guffey, however, added another piece of hardware to her collection when she received the Most Valuable Player Trophy. She led the team in scoring Saturday with 27 points and collected 58 total points during tournament play. She led the team in scoring in two of the three games played.
With combined individual efforts, the tournament's No. 3 seed ultimately filled the top-spot of the season when all was said and done.
"It feels real good (to get back to Nashville)," Hayes said after the team's semifinal victory. "Our eyes were still on making it back here. We worked hard, they brought us a wonderful coach in and we just continued on."
The win advances the Racers to the NCAA tournament - a place they've never been. The team's opponent will be determined on Monday.
Regardless of the match-up, Adams said her team would be ready.
"We'll prepare not differently - our mindset will stay the same," Adams said. "We'll play to win, no matter who we play."
Autumn Boaz can be reached at autumn.boaz@murraystate.edu

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