GAME 33
ASU LADY INDIANS vs.
MURRAY STATE LADY RACERS
Thursday, March 15 Jonesboro, Ark. 7:05 p.m.
ASU Convocation Center (10,038)
Radio: KJCF 103.9 FM
Audio & Video Streaming: ASUIndians.com

ON TAP: The Arkansas State University Lady Indians open play in the Women's National Invitation Tournament Thursday, March 15 when they play host to the Lady Racers of Murray State University in a 7:05 p.m. matchup at the ASU Convocation Center. The winner advances to a second round matchup with the Wisconsin Lady Badgers. The second round game will be played Sunday, March 18 at 4:30 p.m. in Madison, Wisc.

THE PRINCIPALS: Arkansas State enters the WNIT at 20-12 overall. The Lady Indians finished 11-7 in the Sun Belt's western division, and advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, where they dropped a 62-59 decision to Louisiana-Lafayette. Murray State finished the regular season at 21-9 overall and 15-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Racers advanced to the finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament where they lost to Southeast Missouri State 62-60.

THE SERIES: Arkansas State leads the series 8-7, including a 5-3 Lady Indian advantage in games played in Jonesboro. Arkansas State has won the last six meetings, and the last three played in Jonesboro. The last time the two teams met, ASU topped the Racers 84-79 in Jonesboro during the 2003-04 season.

THE COACHES: Two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Brian Boyer is in his eighth season as the Lady Indians' head coach, holding a record of 131-108. Boyer has guided the ASU program to four WNIT Tournament appearances, and in 2003-04 directed the Lady Indians to their first-ever regular season conference title, as ASU earned a share of the Sun Belt East Division championship. Heading into the season, Boyer ranked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in all-time conference wins with 55.
Joi Felton is currently in her fourth season at Murray State, and is 54-60 during that time. Before coaching at Murray State, she spent one year as an assistant at Clemson, and 12 seasons as an assistant at Florida, where she served as the Lady Gators' recruiting coordinator. During her time at Florida, Felton signed nine eventual WNBA draftees and five All-Americans.

ASU IN THE WNIT: The 2007 tournament will be the Lady Indians' eighth appearance in the WNIT. ASU last played in the tournament following the 2004-05 season, advancing to the third round. The Lady Indians defeated Mississippi State 78-61 in the opening round, then eliminated Arkansas with a 98-84 victory before a Convocation Center record crowd of 10,892. The Lady Indians were defeated in the quarterfinals, 66-52 at Iowa.
The Lady Indians finished third in the 1991-92 WNIT, won the tournament following the 1992-93 season, and were runners-up following the 1993-94 season.

DAVIE, SIMS NAMED ALL-SUN BELT: Arkansas State seniors Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims were named to the Sun Belt Conference post-season All-Sun Belt team, the league announced following the end of the regular season. Davie was named first-team All-Sun Belt, while Sims was named to the All-Sun Belt second team.
Davie, a 6-3 center, led the Lady Indians in the regular season in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 21.4 points and 8.8 boards per game. She also blocked a team-high 55 shots.
Sims, a 5-7 point guard, was second on the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game, second in rebounding at 5.4 per game, and led the Lady Indians in assists and steals, averaging 4.69 assists and 2.1 steals each time she took the court.
“I think for Adrianne to be voted first team and for Rudy to be named second team is a huge accomplishment for both when you look at the level where the Sun Belt is in women's basketball,” said ASU head coach Brian Boyer. “The league has had a great year, and there are a lot of really good players. In past years, as a voter, I have struggled to find enough players to put on the all-conference team, and this year, that is not the case. There are 15 legitimate all-conference players this year, and for Adrianne to be considered first team and Rudy second team is a huge honor.”
Joining Davie on the first team was Middle Tennessee's Chrissy Givens, who was also named the league's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Also named first team were Amber Holt of Middle Tennessee, Yolanda Jones of Louisiana-Lafayette, and Crystal Kelly of Western Kentucky.
Named to the second team along with Sims were Denver's Tyesha Lowery, Florida International's Lasma Jekabsone, Whitney Woodard of South Alabama, and Kim Sitzmann of UALR.
Florida International's LaQuetta Ferguson, Middle Tennessee's Krystle Horton, Le'Della English of New Orleans, Kylie Morrissy of Troy, and Western Kentucky's Dominique Duck were all named third-team All-Sun Belt.
Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Insell was named the league's Coach of the Year, while Holt was named Newcomer of the Year, and Sitzmann was named Freshman of the Year.
Davie became ASU's all-time leading rebounder and shot-blocker during her senior season, piling up 1,130 rebounds and 132 blocks during her four-year career. She is also the school's third-leading all-time scorer with 1,940 points. Her 21.4 points-per-game average ranked her third in the Sun Belt this season, and she also finished the regular season ranked fourth in rebounding (8.8), third in field goal percentage (.528), third in blocked shots (1.76), and sixth in free throw percentage (.775). Her numbers rank her sixth all-time in the Sun Belt in scoring, third in rebounding, and 16th in blocked shots, based on numbers heading into the 2006-07 season.
“I think the ultimate respect for Adrianne is the way that all of our opponents are trying to defend her,” said Boyer. “It is respect for the type of year and career she has had. When she is able to consistently draw double-teams, that shows the quality of player she is.”
Sims became ASU's all-time leader in assists during her senior season and currently stands at 538 for her four-year career. She is fifth on the ASU career scoring list with 1,646 points, fourth on the career steals list with 228 thefts, and fifth in three pointers made with 156. She finished the season ranked seventh in the league in scoring (15.7), third in assists (4.69), seventh in steals (2.17), second in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.37), and 10th in three pointers made per game (1.55). Based on figures heading into the 2006-07 season, Sims is fifth all-time in the Sun Belt in assists, 16th in steals, and 20th in three pointers made.
“It is a shame there are only five first-team members, because there is not a point guard on that list,” said Boyer. “If they went by position, Rudy would be first-team, because she is the highest-voted point guard in the league.

SIMS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM: After leading the Lady Indians to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, ASU senior Rudy Sims was named to the all-tournament team. Sims averaged 17 points, 3.7 rebounds, two steals and 4.3 assists per game in the tournament. Joining her on the all-tournament team were Krystle Horton and Amber Holt of Middle Tennessee, and Yolanda Jones and Jeanenne Colbert of Louisiana-Lafayette. Chrissy Givens of Middle Tennessee was the Tournament MVP.

BALANCE IN THE SBC TOURNAMENT: Five players scored in double figures in Arkansas State's first two Sun Belt Tournament games. Against Louisiana-Monroe in the opening round, seniors Adrianne Davie, Rudy Sims, and Ali Carter, sophomore Caroline Starr, freshman Veronica Smith all scored in double figures, then repeated their double digit efforts against Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals. The two games are the only games this season in which five Lady Indians have scored in double figures. Davie has now scored in double figures in 30 games this season, followed by Sims at 26, Carter at 11 and Starr at nine.

SMITH STEPS UP: Freshman Veronica Smith came up big for the Lady Indians during the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, scoring in double figures in all three of ASU's games. In the opening round, Smith's 12-point effort against ULM was the first double-digit game of her career. She added 11 points against Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals and hit the first three pointer of her career, then scored 13 points against ULL in the semifinals, hitting another three pointer in the process.

CARTER REACHES 1,000: With her 12 points against Louisiana-Monroe Feb. 28 in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, ASU senior Ali Carter reached the 1,000-point milestone for her career. Carter stands at 1,021 points heading into the WNIT.

SIMS MAKES THE CUT: Arkansas State senior guard Rudy Sims has been named as one of 11 final nominees for the Nancy Lieberman award, given to the nation's top collegiate point guard. The award is given by the Rotary Club of Detroit and is based on floor leadership, playmaking and ball handling skills, and the final 11 nominees were decided on by sportswriters from across the country. Three finalists and a winner will be selected from the final 11 and announced during the Final Four Weekend of April 1-3.

NEW HIGH FOR DAVIE: ASU senior center Adrianne Davie scored a career high 38 points during the Lady Indians' 72-54 win over Louisiana-Monroe Feb. 17. Davie's performance overshadowed her previous high of 34 points scored just six days before in a 78-73 win at South Alabama. Davie hit 14 of 18 shots from the field in the game, including a perfect 9 of 9 in the second half. She also hit 9 of 12 free throws and was 1 of 1 from behind the three-point arc. For the week, Davie hit 21 of 31 shots from the field (68%), and 13 of 16 shots from the free throw line (81%) and moved into third place on the ASU all-time scoring list with 1,891 points.

THREE STRAIGHT FOR SIMS: With 13 points and 10 assists Feb. 17 against Louisiana-Monroe, ASU senior guard Rudy Sims recorded her third straight double-double. Sims scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Feb. 13 against Denver, and had 12 points and 10 assists Feb. 11 in a 78-73 ASU victory against South Alabama.

DAVIE NAMED SUN BELT PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Arkansas State senior center Adrianne Davie was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 11. It was the second time this season that Davie, a preseason first-team all-conference selection, has earned player of the week honors. Davie scored a total of 56 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had three blocked shots in ASU's two games during the week, leading the Lady Indians to victories over Louisiana-Lafayette and South Alabama. Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Davie scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds, helping ASU overcome a 21-point first-half deficit and win going away, 77-61. Against South Alabama, Davie poured in a career-high 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead ASU to a 78-73 win. For the week, Davie hit 19 of 37 shots from the field (51%), 18 of 25 shots from the free throw line (72%), and moved over the 1,800 point mark for her career. Her 34-point effort topped her previous career high, also against South Alabama, when she scored 32 points in ASU's 69-57 victory Dec. 29. In ASU's two games against South Alabama this season, Davie has scored a total of 66 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots. In the two games, Davie has hit 24 of 35 shots from the field (68.5%) and 21 of 27 free throws (77.7%).

SUPER SIMS: Feb. 11, ASU senior guard Rudy Sims became the only player in the history of the Arkansas State women's program to notch 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career. Sims' 10-assist effort against South Alabama put her over the 500-assist mark for her career, and she now stands at 538, along with 1,646 career points. She is the all-time assist leader at ASU, and is ranked fifth all-time in scoring.

SHINING STARR: ASU sophomore guard Caroline Starr scored a career-high 23 points during the Lady Indians' 77-61 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Feb. 7, helping the ASU overcome a 21-point first half deficit in the game. Starr also grabbed a season-high seven rebounds and hit 6-of-8 shots from three-point range. Additionally, Starr's 4-of-4 effort from behind the three-point arc Jan. 3 in ASU's 80-64 victory at Louisiana-Monroe was the best single-game three-point shooting performance in the history of the ASU program, percentage-wise. Prior to Starr's effort, six players shot 3-of-3 in a single game, including senior Rudy Sims, who made all three of her three-point attempts at ULM.

SUCCESSFUL SENIORS: Seniors Ali Carter, Tabitha Christian, Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims have been a part of one of the most successful four-year runs in Lady Indian history. The four have been a part of 75 wins over the last four seasons, winning 61 percent of their games. At the ASU Convocation Center, the quartet has been even more successful, boasting a winning percentage of 88.6 percent as they compiled a record of 47 wins against just eight losses. The four were a part of back-to-back post-season appearances in 2003-04 and 2004-05, and are back in the post-season again this year. As freshmen, the four were part of an ASU team that won the 2003-04 Sun Belt regular season championship, and following the 2004-05 season, the four helped ASU reach the third round of the WNIT, defeating Southeastern Conference members Mississippi State and Arkansas along the way. The Lady Indians also posted a 68-64 win over 22nd-ranked TCU during the 2004-05 season. This season, the seniors were part of home wins over Southeastern Conference member Alabama, and Big 12 member Oklahoma State. The four were also a part of an ASU team this year that handed Missouri State, Louisiana-Lafayette and North Dakota State rare home losses. Missouri State has lost just 33 games at home since the 1989-90 season, ULL has lost at home just seven times under head coach J. Kelley Hall, and North Dakota State has suffered just 48 losses at Bison Sports Arena all-time, while winning 352.

CARTER CATCHES A STARR: ASU senior Ali Carter's 4-for-4 performance from behind the 3-point arc Feb. 11 against South Alabama equaled the best single-game three-point shooting performance in the history of the ASU program, percentage-wise. The effort equaled sophomore Caroline Starr's 4-for-4 effort logged earlier this season in Arkansas State's 80-64 victory at Louisiana-Monroe Jan. 3.

DAVIE RAISES THE BAR: Arkansas State senior center Adrianne Davie broke the ASU career rebounding record Jan. 31 during the Lady Indians' 80-61 victory over Florida Atlantic when she finished the game with 10 rebounds to raise her career number to 1,058, passing Sue Jayroe, who grabbed 1,055 boards from 1977-80. Davie's current rebounding total stands at 1,130. Davie also set the career blocked shots record during the Lady Indians' 69-57 victory over South Alabama Dec. 29. Davie blocked two shots in the game, finishing the day with 96 blocks to break the career record of Chiquita Tucker, who blocked 95 shots from 2001-2002. Davie now has 132 blocked shots in her career at ASU. Davie also finished the South Alabama game with a career high in points scored, torching the Lady Jags for 32 points on the night. She also set a season high for blocked shots in a game when she swatted five shots away during the Lady Indians' 57-51 victory over North Texas Jan. 6, then matched the effort Jan. 31 with five blocks against FAU - all in the first half. She also passed the 1,000 rebound mark for her career when she pulled down 11 boards Jan. 9 against UALR. Davie is also in third place on the ASU all-time scoring list with 1,940 career points.

HOT START: With their 6-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play, the Lady Indians equaled the best conference start in the history of the program. The 1996-97 Lady Indian team began Sun Belt Conference play at 6-0, as did the 1992-93 Lady Indian squad.

QUICKEST TO 10 WINS: When ASU earned its 10th victory of the season with an 80-64 win Jan. 3 at Louisiana-Monroe, it marked the earliest calendar date that any Lady Indian team had reached the 10-win mark. The previous record was held by the 1990-91 Lady Indian team, which defeated Louisiana Tech Jan. 5, 1991 to reach the 10-win mark.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR SIMS: Arkansas State senior guard Rudy Sims was named the Sun Belt Conference women's basketball Player of the Week Dec. 19 for her triple-double effort in the Lady Indians' 65-58 overtime victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Dec. 16. Sims recorded ASU's first triple-double in over a decade when she scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and handed out 10 assists in 41 minutes played. Sims also notched three steals in the game, and her steal, layup, and free throw early in the overtime period ignited a 9-0 run to help the Lady Indians put the game out of reach. The assist, rebound, and minutes played totals were all career highs for the three-time All-Sun Belt Conference performer.

DAVIE, SIMS EARN ALL-TOURNEY HONORS: ASU Seniors Adrianne Davie and Rudy Sims were named to the Cal Contra Costa Classic All-Tournament team after leading the Lady Indians to the finals of the Dec. 2 and 3 event in Berkeley, Calif. Sims averaged 22 points during the two-day tournament, adding five rebounds and four steals against San Jose State, while Davie averaged 21 points and six rebounds during the tournament. Sims scored a season high 25 points and added a season-high four steals against San Jose State in the Lady Indians' 90-71 win Dec. 2.

DAVIE EARNS SUN BELT HONOR: ASU senior Adrianne Davie was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Nov. 28 by the league office for her play in ASU's three games the previous week. Davie, a 6-3 center who was named to the Sun Belt's Preseason All-Conference first team, posted a double-double in the Lady Indians' games against Missouri State and Purdue. In ASU's 67-54 win at Missouri State Nov. 20, Davie scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. In a 67-61 loss to No. 10 Purdue Nov. 24, Davie pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with 13 points, and in the Lady Indians' 87-55 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Sunday afternoon, she scored 21 points, notched 11 rebounds, and matched her career-high in blocked shots with four. Davie leads the Lady Indians in both scoring and rebounding on the season, and has posted a total of 11 double-doubles this season, and 46 in her career.

CARTER CLIMBING: Senior guard Ali Carter is now in sixth place in career 3-point field goals made at ASU with 146 made shots from behind the arc.

BIG ROAD WINS: With its 67-54 win at Missouri State Nov. 20, ASU became just the 33rd visiting team to win on the Lady Bears' home court since the 1989-90 season. Missouri State holds a 237-33 record on its home court during the past 18 seasons...ASU's 65-58 overtime victory at Louisiana-Lafayette Dec. 16 was only the seventh loss for the Ragin' Cajuns at Earl K. Long Gym under head coach J. Kelley Hall. The Lady Indians defeated the Ragin' Cajuns at Lafayette last season as well. Additionally, under Hall, the Ragin' Cajuns are 55-8 when leading at the half, and three of those losses have come at the hands of Arkansas State...ASU's 64-61 win at North Dakota State Jan. 20 was just the 18th loss for the Bison at home over the past 10 seasons, and 48th loss all time at home, where the Bison stand at 350-48.

LOOKING AHEAD: The winner of Thursday night's game will travel to Madison, Wisc., for a second-round matchup against the Lady Badgers of Wisconsin. The game is set for Sunday, March 18 at 4:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: LAFAYETTE, La. (3/5/07) — Trailing by nine points inside four minutes left to play, the Arkansas State women's basketball team (20-12) made a furious rally that came up just short in a 62-59 setback against Louisiana-Lafayette (25-7) in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals.
The No. 6 seeded Lady Indians defeated Louisiana-Monroe in the tournament's first round and knocked off Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals before falling to the Ragin' Cajuns. ULL, the No. 2 seed, won its sixth consecutive game and advances to play No. 1 seeded Middle Tennessee in the championship game. The Ragin' Cajuns got past the Lady Indians for the first time this season after dropping two regular-season meetings, including their last loss on Feb. 7 at ASU.
ULL tied its largest lead of the game at nine points when Alicia McDaniel hit a jump shot to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 52-43 advantage with four minutes remaining in the game. However, ASU responded with a 16-7 run capped by a Rudy Sims layup with 24 seconds left to tie the score, 59-59. Sims was fouled on the shot, but missed the ensuing free throw and ULL's Sonora Edwards pulled down the rebound to set the Ragin' Cajuns up for a final shot.
Edwards led the Ragin' Cajuns on the offensive end of the floor as well, hitting a layup and drawing a foul with six seconds left. She converted the free throw and then ASU inbounded the ball to Sims and as she pushed the ball up the floor was fouled with two seconds to go. Sims was unable to convert either free throw and Yolonda Jones grabbed the game's final rebound to secure the victory.
Sims led three ASU players scoring in double figures with 18 points and was followed by Adrianne Davie with 17 points and Veronica Smith with 13. Sims, Davie and Smith also led ASU on the boards with five rebounds each.
Arkansas State shot 46 percent from the floor in comparison to Louisiana-Lafayette's .353 percentage, but was outrebounded 47-29 and gave up 24 offensive rebounds to the Ragin' Cajuns.
ASU got off to a quick start, building a nine-point lead twice over the games first 10 minutes. The Lady Indians led 19-10 with 10:24 left in the first half, but ULL outscored ASU 21-7 the rest of the way to take a 31-26 lead into the break.
Jones paced ULL's attack with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Edwards also finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. Joining Jones and Edwards with double-digit points were Jeanenne Colbert (12) and Onna Charles (11).

MORE ON BOYER: Brian Boyer is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Arkansas State women's basketball team. During his time at the helm of the Lady Indians, he has posted a 131-108 overall record, which is the second most wins in ASU women's basketball history. He has led the Tribe to three WNIT appearances in his first seven seasons including appearances in two out of the last three seasons. Last season, the Lady Indians posted a 15-15 overall record as the Tribe advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Tribe posted the .500 record against a schedule that featured nine NCAA Tournament teams and three teams in the WNIT. Center Adrianne Davie earned First Team All-Conference honors last season marking the third straight year in which she has received All-SBC accolades. Also, the Tribe had three different players join the 1,000 career point club last season in Davie, junior Rudy Sims and senior Amber Abraham. In the 2004-05 season Boyer guided the Lady Indians to a 21-11 overall record and an 11-3 Sun Belt record as the Tribe finished in second place in the Sun Belt East Division. Boyer picked up his second consecutive Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year award following the 2004-05 season, and joined former ASU head coach Jerry Ann Winters as the only two women's basketball coaches at ASU to win back-to-back coach of the year honors. Before assuming the head coaching role at ASU, Boyer was no stranger to the Arkansas State women's basketball program, coming to Arkansas State with former head coach Jeff Mittie when he was hired as head coach in 1995. Together, the two helped the program to a 75-48 record, including an 18-14 record in the 1998-99 season with an appearance in the Women's NIT, ASU's first postseason appearance in five years. Boyer graduated from Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Mo., with a bachelor's degree in education. He was an assistant coach for the men's program for six seasons, including the last three, which he spent as an assistant with the women's program as well. As an assistant to the men's team, Missouri Western was an NCAA Division II Tournament participant five years (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995) and won two conference championships. As a women's assistant, Boyer and Missouri Western made two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four in 1995 and the Elite Eight the previous season. Boyer prepped at Scotland County High School in Memphis, Mo., and graduated from there in 1988. He is married to the former Rhonda Lane of Marked Tree, Arkansas. She is a graduate of ASU.

THE ASU ASSISTANTS: Tanya Ray enters her fifth season at Arkansas State as a women's basketball assistant coach. Ray, a native of Brenham, TX, serves as the Lady Indians' recruiting coordinator in which she organizes all aspects of the recruiting process and specializes in upper class recruiting. She also works with the Lady Indian posts and helps to oversee the team defense. Ray is also in charge of monitoring the academic progress of the team's student-athletes. She is the team liaison for campus life and assists in opponent scouting. She received her bachelor's degree in exercise-sport science from St. Mary's. Ray prepped at Brenham High School where she was a standout varsity player for four year. She graduated from BHS in 1994. Rebecca Chilton Peoples enters her fifth season with the Arkansas State women's basketball program. Peoples, a native of Buckeye, Ariz., is a recruiting assistant for the Tribe with an emphasis on underclass recruiting. She is in charge of on-campus visits and works with the development of the Lady Indian guards. She assists in the scouting of ASU opponents. Peoples coordinates the ASU home practice schedule and is the liaison to the strength and conditioning program. She is also responsible for the Lady Indian Basketball elementary camp and the NEA Tournament Programs. Peoples received her degree in physical education from Prescott College, and is married to Arkansas State assistant football coach Kevin Peoples. Carrie Redman is in her first season as an assistant coach with Arkansas State's women's basketball program. Redman played her collegiate career at the University of Arkansas from 1995-1999. During her first year the Lady Razorbacks were WNIT runner-ups and in her junior year (1997-98) she played in the NCAA Final Four as the lowest seeded team ever to advance (eighth seed) to the semifinals. In her senior year, she helped Arkansas to the WNIT championships and was named to the All-SEC Hard Work Team. She received her Bachelor's of Science Degree from Arkansas and her Master's of Education Degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. She is married to Eric Redman, who serves as an associate certified athletic trainer for ASU's sports medicine program.