Ohio Valley Conference

JSU's Shanika Freeman

JSU's Rebecca Haynes

TTU's Marissa Hensley

OVC Players of the week Feb. 7

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Shanika Freeman, F, Sr., 6'1, Chattanooga, Tenn. - Jacksonville State
Freeman came off the bench last week to help the Gamecocks to two OVC wins. She averaged 24 points and nine rebounds over the two-game stretch. In the win over Austin Peay, Freeman recorded her 51st career double-double with a team-high 26 points and 12 rebounds. She chipped in 22 points as JSU defeated Tennessee Tech. For the week, Freeman missed just one free throw, going 19-of-20 from the line.

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Rebecca Haynes, G, Jr., 6'2, Birkdale, Australia - Jacksonville State
Haynes averaged 13 points and three rebounds in Jacksonville State's two wins. She has scored in double figures in her last seven games, including 20 points against Austin Peay and 18 versus Tennessee Tech last week. She also recorded a season-best four blocks against the Lady Govs. Haynes finished the week going 9-for-14 from behind the arc.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Marissa Hensley, F, Fr., 5'10, Gainesboro, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech
Hensley averaged 11.5 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds in Tech's two road games. She finished the week shooting 52.9 (9-of-17) from the floor. Henlsey recorded nine points and a game-high nine rebounds in the win over Samford. Against Jacksonville State, she tallied 14 points, six rebounds and two assists.

2004-05 OVC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM NOTES

AUSTIN PEAY (3-7 OVC, 7-14 Overall): Austin Peay dropped a pair of Conference games last week, falling to Jacksonville State, 77-70, and Samford, 52-59. Senior Cassandra Peek became the third APSU player to record 300 assists and 100 three-pointers during her career. She reached the assists plateau with a career-tying eight handouts against Jacksonville State. Peek followed that by recording her 100th career three-pointer versus Samford. Junior Kera Bergeron is just four three-pointers away from becoming the school's all-time three-point shooter. The Lady Govs, who are 1-9 on the road this season, will play four of their remaining six OVC games away from the Dunn Center. Austin Peay travels to Tennessee-Martin on Thursday and Murray State on Saturday.

EASTERN ILLINOIS (2-8 OVC, 9-12 Overall): Eastern Illinois earned a split last week, falling to Murray State, 76-70, before edging out Tennessee-Martin, 66-65. Senior Pam O'Connor averaged 22 points per game to surpass the 1,600-point mark for her career. She recorded her second double-double of the season with a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds in the Murray State contest. She also led all players with 20 points versus Jacksonville State. Junior Janelle Cazy finished the week with 22 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the line. Senior Sarah Riva posted career-highs of six rebounds and seven assists against the Lady Racers. The Panthers will host Southeast Missouri on Tuesday and Tennessee State on Thursday.

EASTERN KENTUCKY (9-1 OVC, 14-7 Overall): Eastern Kentucky went 2-0 last week with wins over Morehead State, 79-57, and Tennessee State, 60-58. With the victory over the Lady Eagles, EKU extended its home win streak to 14 games. The Lady Colonels have won six straight and 11 of their last 12 contests. Senior Miranda Eckerle averaged a team-high 15 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds over the two games. She picked up her second double-double of the season with game-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds versus Morehead State. Against Tennessee State, Eckerle tallied 11 points while senior Candis Cook sank the two free throws that sealed the win. The Lady Colonels travel to Samford on Thursday and Jacksonville State on Saturday.

JACKSONVILLE STATE (6-4 OVC, 9-10 Overall): Jacksonville State picked up two Conference wins last week, defeating Austin Peay (77-70) and Tennessee Tech (91-79). The 91 points against the Golden Eaglettes marked a season-high for JSU. Senior Shanika Freeman came off the bench to average 24 points and nine rebounds a game. She recorded her 51st career double-double with 26 points and 12 boards versus Austin Peay, then followed that up with 22 points and nine rebounds against Tennessee Tech. Freeman missed just one free throw last week, shooting 19-for-20 from the line. Junior Rebecca Haynes chipped in 19 points and four rebounds each time out. Junior Ann-Marie Healy tallied a career-high 18 points in the win over Tennessee Tech. Jacksonville State steps away from Conference play on Monday as the Gamecocks host Utah Valley State. JSU returns to OVC action when it welcomes Morehead State on Thursday and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.

MOREHEAD STATE (2-8 OVC, 4-17 Overall): Morehead State dropped a 79-57 decision to Eastern Kentucky and fell to Tennessee State, 55-49, last week. As a team, the Lady Eagles blocked 14 shots over the two games. Morehead State has already established a new school blocked shots record and needs just 25 rejections to tie the OVC single-season record of 155. Senior Shelly Johnson is three blocks away from her own school record of 67. Sophomore Jessie Plante led the team in scoring last week with 10.5 points per game. Freshman Anitha Smith-Williams, the team's leading scorer, remains questionable for the coming week due to a leg injury. She has already missed four games because of the injury. The Lady Eagles will close out the road portion of their regular-season schedule this week as they travel to Jacksonville State on Thursday and Samford on Saturday.

MURRAY STATE (4-6 OVC, 8-13 Overall): Murray State went 1-1 last week, defeating Eastern Illinois, 76-70, before falling to Southeast Missouri, 60-40. Sophomore Gerraca Matthews led the Lady Racers in scoring with 12 points per game. She also recorded seven steals, the third-best single-game effort in school history. Senior Rebecca Remington averaged 10.0 points and 8.5 rebounds over the two contests. She finished the week shooting 6-for-6 from the line. As a team, Murray State recorded 18 steals against Eastern Illinois, the fifth-most in team history. The Lady Racers host Tennessee Tech on Thursday and Austin Peay on Saturday.

SAMFORD (4-6 OVC, 11-10 Overall): Samford lost a 58-51 decision to Tennessee Tech before defeating Austin Peay, 59-52, last week. The Bulldogs have now recorded 11 victories for the season, marking the second-highest win total in school history. Sophomore Veronica Pike averaged 13 points and six rebounds in the two games. She scored 19 points and pulled down eight boards versus Austin Peay. Freshman Taryn Towns netted a career-high 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in the victory over the Lady Govs. Samford hosts Eastern Kentucky on Thursday and Morehead State on Saturday.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (9-1 OVC, 15-6 Overall): Southeast Missouri extended its winning streak to eight games last week with victories over Tennessee-Martin (79-56) and Murray State (60-40). With the win over the Lady Racers, head coach B.J. Smith picked up his 50th victory as the skipper of Southeast Missouri. Junior Tatiana Conceicao, the league's leading scorer, averaged 14 points per game last week. She recorded her second-career double-double with a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds against Murray State. Junior Simone Jackson tallied 12 points against Tennessee-Martin and followed that up with a 14-point performance versus Murray State. She finished the week shooting 12-of-15 from the floor. As a team, the Redhawks brought down a season-high 55 rebounds in the Murray State contest. Southeast Missouri will travel to Eastern Illinois on Tuesday before returning home to host Tennessee State on Saturday.

TENNESSEE-MARTIN (5-5 OVC, 6-15 Overall): Tennessee-Martin dropped a pair of Conference contests last week, falling to Southeast Missouri (79-56) and Eastern Illinois (66-65). Sophomore Andreika Jackson averaged a team-high 18 points per game last week. She tallied 15 points against Southeast Missouri and then went 10-for-10 from the field against Eastern Illinois to finish the game with 21 points. Sophomore Tiffany Arnold averaged 15 points over the two games, including a career-high 22 points against the Redhawks. Junior Nicole Rivers went a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe last week. She is now shooting 89 percent from the line in OVC action. Freshman Crystal Fuller missed both games last week because of her recent car accident. Fuller has now missed four consecutive league contests. Tennessee-Martin will close out its four-game homestand with Austin Peay on Thursday and Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

TENNESSEE STATE (3-7 OVC, 6-15 Overall): Tennessee State earned a split last week, falling to Eastern Kentucky, 60-58, before defeating Morehead State, 55-49. The win over Morehead State snapped the Lady Tigers' five-game losing streak. TSU had a chance to tie the EKU contest, but the last-second shot went in after the final horn sounded. Against Morehead State, the Lady Tigers erased a two-point deficit by scoring eight unanswered points to record the win. Senior Kendra Bailey averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game last week. She recorded a double-double against Morehead State with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Junior Leslie Dean chipped in 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Dean sank a three-pointer that sealed the win over Morehead State. TSU travels to Eastern Illinois on Thursday and Southeast Missouri on Saturday.

TENNESSEE TECH (8-2 OVC, 15-6 Overall): Tennessee Tech split two Conference games last week, defeating Samford, 58-51, before falling to Jacksonville State, 91-79. Sophomore Kendall Cavin averaged 16 points on 12-of-22 shooting last week. She recorded 18 points against Samford and followed that up with a 14-point performance at Jacksonville State. Freshman Marissa Hensley averaged 11.5 points and a team-high 7.5 boards while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor. Junior Jana Reece tallied a career-best 17 points against the Gamecocks. Junior Emily Christian climbed to 12th place in career scoring at Tech with 1,427 points. The Golden Eaglettes wrap up a four-game road swing this week with stops at Murray State on Thursday and Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.