The ice storm that swept through Kentucky and much of the Midwest last week crippled the campus of one of Eastern’s main rivals.

Murray State – the team sitting in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference, one game ahead of the Eastern women’s basketball team – had to close campus last week because of massive power outages across the area.

The campus in Murray, Ky. closed on Jan. 29 and all residents living in the residence halls had to leave the school because there was no power on campus.

The Racers’ game Saturday against UT Martin had to be rescheduled to Feb. 23, and while the rest of the campus found, or at least tried to find their way home, the basketball teams needed to find a place to practice to stay fresh as the OVC season comes down the stretch.

That’s when the Skyhawks came to the rescue.

Tennessee Martin – a conference rival of the Racers and located only about an hour south of Murray in Martin, Tenn. — opened its doors, and its gym, to the Racers as a place to practice while their school was disabled.

The act of kindness by the Skyhawks is yet another example of schools putting aside their athletic differences during a time of trouble. Which is just the way it should be.

“At times like this, basketball is about a lot more than rivalries,” UT Martin head coach Tara Tansil-Gentry said in a release on the OVC Web site. “The Murray State campus is going through a lot right now, and this is just a small way we can try to help out their situation. I’m sure if the roles were reversed they would do the same thing.”

Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said he has never experienced anything like what the Racers are experiencing as a coach, but he did say that storms hit close to home with him because he has family in Kentucky.

“I can’t imagine what those young ladies and coaches are going through,” Sallee said. “It’s hard on a team to be away from home and in that kind of a situation where they can’t just go home because they’re in the middle of a season. UT Martin was nice enough to help them take care of business.”

Sallee said while the Racers are Eastern’s main competitor for a conference championship, he hates to see anyone go through this kind of ordeal. He said that while the ice storm was a major inconvenience for the school and the team, he believes the Racers will be a stronger team because of it.

“It’s times like this that teams pull together, circle the wagons, and get that much better of because of that,” Sallee said. “I would imagine with their senior leadership they will handle it very well and (Racers’ head coach Rob Cross) will have a plan. I hope it works out well for them. My prayers and thoughts are with them.”

Murray State’s main campus re-opened on Monday and the Racers will return to action Wednesday when they travel to Nashville, Tenn., to face Tennessee State. Their next home game is not until the Feb. 23 makeup contest against UT Martin.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.