Former Murray State women’s basketball student-athlete Alaina Lee, is our guest on the Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast, episode 118.
The Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, iTunes and Soundcloud.
Lee, from Houston’s Madison High School came to Murray State as a diminutive point guard and ended her career a big part of the 2007-08 team that made the Racers’ first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Going into the 2007-08 season, Lee was a senior along with teammates Gerraca Matthews, Shaleea Petty and Angela Brown. With a talented group of juniors including the Guffey twins (Amber and Paige) and Ashley Hayes, the Racers knew this was their last chance to win a championship.
However, the Racers had to first endure the agony of defeat from the season before (2006-07) when the Racers won 21 games, 15 in OVC play to finish second, but couldn’t hold a 16-point lead in the final 14 minutes in a 62-60 defeat to Southeast Missouri in the OVC Tournament championship game.
Jody Adams was hired as head coach and kept the heartbreaker on the team’s mind for motivation. There were t-shirts with the final score from that 62-60 game, there were signs in the locker room. 62-60, became a rally cry for the team going into the 2007-08 season.
“When I first got to Murray in 2004, we knew it was a rebuilding process (with Coach Joi Williams),” Lee recalled. “By our junior year, all of the pieces were in place to win. And yes, that loss in the OVC Tournament was still on our minds. We had something special and all we needed to do was execute. We all came from different places and backgrounds, but we had that connection. When everyone works for a common goal, it’s amazing to see what can happen.”
That common goal saw the Racers blitz the OVC in 2008 with a 6-0 start with an average winning margin of 24.1 points per game. Only a pair of losses to SEMO of six points at Cape Girardeau, Missouri (67-61) and a three-point loss (66-63) at home kept the Racers from winning the OVC regular season championship.
In the OVC Tournament, Lee had the game of her life in the quarterfinals with 24 points against Morehead State. The Racers defeated Samford in the semifinals 68-56 and then Eastern Illinois in the title game 69-58. The Racers first and only NCAA Tournament appearance was in College Park, Maryland against Duke and a 78-57 loss.
The student-athlete experience at Murray State was never better than it was in 2008 for the Racers and Lee.
“Of course that was something I wanted to do in college, I was a little girl growing up watching on TV,” Lee said. “That experience was everything, including my first time on an airplane! I remember how excited I was just to have our band and cheerleaders go with us. I remember all of those things, because it was a time you wanted to soak in.”
In Murray State Athletics, it is often stated ‘once a Racer. Always a Racer’. That’s the best thing about being a student-athlete. Lifelong friendships are made and last a lifetime.
“We’re able to stay in touch through social media mostly,” Lee said. “A couple of months ago I lost my mom (Rozina) to cancer and my teammates completely stepped up and reached out to me and I’ll always be grateful for that. It’s amazing to have that kind of people in my corner.”
About Runnin’ With The Racers Podcast
Murray State Basketball great Jonathan Stark was the first guest when the pilot episode posted Aug. 29, 2018, The podcast is produced weekly and usually is available by Wednesday. The Runnin’ with the Racers Podcast is mainly guest driven with news and notes of the week from the Racers. Dave Winder, MSU Athletics Associate AD for Media Relations is the host. The podcast is available on GoRacers.com, ITunes and Soundcloud.
About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department at Murray State University is a member of NCAA D-I and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men’s teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf and women’s teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. MSU also has a rifle program that is coed. The Racers are one of the founding members of the Ohio Valley Conference from its beginnings in 1948. Kevin Saal has served as director of athletics since March 2019.
Follow the Racers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and on the web at GoRacers.com.
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Dave Winder
Associate AD – Media Relations
