After the holidays had come and gone this past weekend, the Flames find themselves back on the court for the first time in 10 days when they begin Missouri Valley Conference play on the road beginning this Friday at Murray State.

After an 8-1 start to their season, the Flames have lost their last two games in a row, both by five points or less in games against Northwestern (66-62) and on the road against SEMO (56-55). They finished non-conference play at 8-3 overall.

This is the first time that the Flames have faced off against the Racers in over 25 years. Both programs are entering the MVC for the first time this season, so it means that they will not see the last of one another. The Racers

Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm and can be streamed on ESPN+

Bench play continues to shine

• The Flames bench play has outmatched their opponents so far this season. They have outscored their opponents in nine out of eleven games this season.
• Only time that they have been outscored was in their win against Milwaukee (8-7) and they tied in their loss against SEMO (21-21).
• Big part in their success is the work of Ky Dempsey-Toney. In limited minutes she is second in scoring (10.9 PPG) and third in rebounding (5.0 RPG) for the Flames.
• Danyel Middleton has become a source of energy off the bench in the last three games, averaging over 24 minutes on the floor and is the fourth leading scorer on the team, averaging 6.9 PPG.

A defensive mindset

• The Flames continue to show strength on the defensive side of the ball. They are currently the best scoring defensive in all the Missouri Valley Conference, only allowing 56.3 PPG.
• They are also thwarting efforts of their opponents from beyond the arc, keeping them at a 26.5% success rate.
• Dempsey-Toney is the 6^th best shot blocker in the MVC with 14 to her name so far, averaging 1.3 a game.
• Jaida McCloud is in the top 15 in steals in the MVC, currently ranked #13, averaging 1.4 a game.

Top 25 in Mid-Major Poll

• The Flames slid down from #24 to #25 in CollegeInsider.com's Top 25 Mid-Major Poll entering the holidays last week.
• The Flames haven't gained votes for this poll since winning the Women's Basketball Invitational back in March 2014.
• In this poll voted on by head coaches from 31 mid-major schools, the Flames haven't been in the top 25 since February 2014.

Matching up with Murray State

• The Murray State Racers are currently coming off a win back on December 20^th with a win at Bellarmine, 74-59. The Racers have won seven of their last eight games.
• The Racers are led offensively by Katelyn Young, averaging 19.4 points a game. Young is the second-best scorer in the MVC. She also isn't shy from the charity stripe, landing the most free throws in the conference with 51 and counting.
• Ranked 7^th in the nation and first in the conference, the Racers are disciplined with their fouls, averaging just a little under 13 fouls a game.
• They are also the best in the conference beyond the arc, landing 35.3% of their threes.