Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, December 22
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Georgia Tech
Lady Raiders look to stay hot vs. Georgia Tech
12/21/2016 5:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MT seeking third-straight win
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Fresh off of back-to-back wins, Middle Tennessee will look to make it three straight when the Lady Raiders welcome Georgia Tech Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Raiders (4-5) have rallied against one of the nation's toughest schedules and have a chance to get back to .500 by Christmas, but it won't be easy against a Georgia Tech (9-2) team that has been clicking on all cylinders.
"Georgia Tech is a very good basketball team that is sound and extremely well coached," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They have tremendous depth. It will be another challenge for us."
Including Georgia Tech, seven of Middle Tennessee's first 10 opponents are ranked in the NCAA Top 100 RPI. The Yellow Jackets are No. 58 in the latest RPI ratings.
Middle Tennessee has certainly turned its game around most recently. In the team's back-to-back wins, the numbers reflect greater contribution from more players. For example, Middle Tennessee is averaging 76.5 points, up from its season average of 62.1.
Middle Tennessee is allowing just 51.5 points, down 13.1 from the season average, during the two wins. Individual offensive contributions are also up as five players are averaging double figures: , Alex Johnson (20.0), Ty Petty (15.5), Abbey Sissom (13.0), Gabby Lyon (11.5) and Rebecca Reuter (10.5).
"More than anything we have been having some very good practices," Insell said. "We are getting our drills into the games and you can see it. We are executing better on the offensive and defensive ends. We are playing better but the best thing is we can become a lot better team and that's our approach. We are looking for improvement every day in some area."
Strong guard play and dominant post play has keyed Middle Tennessee's recent play, too. Middle Tennessee is 32nd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.374). Petty and Sissom have helped key the Lady Raiders' hot outside attack. Sissom leads MT in 3-point percentage with a .447 clip (17-of-38), while Petty is shooting 39 percent (18-of-46). Reuter has also stabilized the outside threat. She is shooting 86 percent (6-of-7) from 3-point range.
The Lady Raiders' trio of Johnson, Lyon and Reuter have been solid, too. They have combined to shoot 60 percent, average 42 points and 16 rebounds in back-to-back wins.
The Lady Raiders (4-5) have rallied against one of the nation's toughest schedules and have a chance to get back to .500 by Christmas, but it won't be easy against a Georgia Tech (9-2) team that has been clicking on all cylinders.
"Georgia Tech is a very good basketball team that is sound and extremely well coached," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They have tremendous depth. It will be another challenge for us."
Including Georgia Tech, seven of Middle Tennessee's first 10 opponents are ranked in the NCAA Top 100 RPI. The Yellow Jackets are No. 58 in the latest RPI ratings.
Middle Tennessee has certainly turned its game around most recently. In the team's back-to-back wins, the numbers reflect greater contribution from more players. For example, Middle Tennessee is averaging 76.5 points, up from its season average of 62.1.
Middle Tennessee is allowing just 51.5 points, down 13.1 from the season average, during the two wins. Individual offensive contributions are also up as five players are averaging double figures: , Alex Johnson (20.0), Ty Petty (15.5), Abbey Sissom (13.0), Gabby Lyon (11.5) and Rebecca Reuter (10.5).
"More than anything we have been having some very good practices," Insell said. "We are getting our drills into the games and you can see it. We are executing better on the offensive and defensive ends. We are playing better but the best thing is we can become a lot better team and that's our approach. We are looking for improvement every day in some area."
Strong guard play and dominant post play has keyed Middle Tennessee's recent play, too. Middle Tennessee is 32nd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.374). Petty and Sissom have helped key the Lady Raiders' hot outside attack. Sissom leads MT in 3-point percentage with a .447 clip (17-of-38), while Petty is shooting 39 percent (18-of-46). Reuter has also stabilized the outside threat. She is shooting 86 percent (6-of-7) from 3-point range.
The Lady Raiders' trio of Johnson, Lyon and Reuter have been solid, too. They have combined to shoot 60 percent, average 42 points and 16 rebounds in back-to-back wins.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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