Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, December 22
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
4-6
60
vs
61
Georgia Tech
10-2
1
2
3
4
F
Georgia Tech
17
14
15
15
61
Middle Tennessee
13
16
14
17
60
Team Stats
GT
MT
FG%
.460
.400
3FG%
.333
.389
FT%
.550
.739
RB
30
31
TO
16
17
STL
7
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballLady Raiders lose heartbreaker to Georgia Tech
12/22/2016 9:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MT falls 61-60 at Murphy Center
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee was aiming to make it three wins in a row but was defeated at home 61-60 by Georgia Tech, the 55th ranked RPI team in the nation, Thursday night.
"The kids fought hard," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "We played good enough to win the ballgame, we just didn't take care of the basketball late."
The Raiders had a chance at a game-winning shot late, as they had the ball trailing 61-60 with just 7.9 seconds left. Sophomore Jess Louro had a 3-point attempt from the right corner miss long, and off an inbounds with .8 seconds to go the final attempt missed, ending the game.
While the Blue Raiders (4-6) went into the game hot offensively, scoring 82 and 71 points in back-to-back wins, their fire didn't last against the Yellow Jackets (10-2).
Insell was happy with the efforts of his post players, but it was his guards that disappointed. MT's four guards who saw the floor combined for just 8-of-24 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from the free-throw line.
"We just need to step up, we just need leadership starting with me and going on down the line," senior point guard Ty Petty said. "Coach has been hard on the posts, and they've taken that well. Now it's time for the guards to step up and help the posts out."
Things didn't start well for Middle Tennessee from the floor, as it missed its first five shots and fell early into a 9-2 hole. The Blue Raiders climbed back in, and took their first lead 20-19 with 6:50 left in the first half. But things got more difficult for MTSU.
Petty, the team's second-high scorer and leading assister, picked up her fourth foul with just 2:56 remaining in the first half, causing the Blue Raiders to play the rest of the second quarter without their primary ball handler.
"I definitely heard a lot from coach going back in the locker room at halftime," she said. "He wasn't happy. The third and the fourth fouls were dumb fouls on me."
Without Petty, Middle Tennessee was able sustain and entered the break down just 31-29. Instead of taking her out for the third quarter, Insell risked playing her with four fouls, and she proved him right. The senior hit three 3-pointers down the stretch, and nine of her 11 points came after halftime. She also added five assists.
"Going back out there, I knew I couldn't let my team down," Petty said. "I wasn't going to touch them – if I had to play defense with my hands behind my back, I was going to do it."
While things may not have gone well at times for the Blue Raiders from the field, their shooting at the free-throw line kept them in the game, especially early. They hit 13 of their 17 attempts from the line in the first half and finished 17-23 for the game.
However, it was the six they missed that the Blue Raiders will remember.
"We were just aggressive," Petty said. "Once we got the posts the ball they were able to get girls on top of them, and for our guards, we have to knock those free throws down. We lost by one, and look how many we missed."
Sophomore Alex Johnson and junior Rebecca Reuter led the way from the charity stripe with 4-for-4 and 7-for-7 efforts, respectively.
Reuter made her third start in a row for Middle Tennessee and proved she should stay there. With an 11-point, five-rebound effort Thursday, she is now averaging 10.7 points in games she's started this season, compared to just 5.9 coming off the bench.
"She adds a lot of length as well as a 3-point shot," Johnson said. "I feel like the last couple of games she's stepped out of her comfort zone and knocked down some huge shots for us. She just continues to battle and has a lot of heart, and you have to commend her for that."
Johnson led the way in scoring with 16 points and two steals, and Louro added nine points.
The Blue Raiders have a little time to enjoy the holiday break, as they don't play against until a Dec. 28 contest at home against Central Michigan. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
"The kids fought hard," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "We played good enough to win the ballgame, we just didn't take care of the basketball late."
The Raiders had a chance at a game-winning shot late, as they had the ball trailing 61-60 with just 7.9 seconds left. Sophomore Jess Louro had a 3-point attempt from the right corner miss long, and off an inbounds with .8 seconds to go the final attempt missed, ending the game.
While the Blue Raiders (4-6) went into the game hot offensively, scoring 82 and 71 points in back-to-back wins, their fire didn't last against the Yellow Jackets (10-2).
Insell was happy with the efforts of his post players, but it was his guards that disappointed. MT's four guards who saw the floor combined for just 8-of-24 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from the free-throw line.
"We just need to step up, we just need leadership starting with me and going on down the line," senior point guard Ty Petty said. "Coach has been hard on the posts, and they've taken that well. Now it's time for the guards to step up and help the posts out."
Things didn't start well for Middle Tennessee from the floor, as it missed its first five shots and fell early into a 9-2 hole. The Blue Raiders climbed back in, and took their first lead 20-19 with 6:50 left in the first half. But things got more difficult for MTSU.
Petty, the team's second-high scorer and leading assister, picked up her fourth foul with just 2:56 remaining in the first half, causing the Blue Raiders to play the rest of the second quarter without their primary ball handler.
"I definitely heard a lot from coach going back in the locker room at halftime," she said. "He wasn't happy. The third and the fourth fouls were dumb fouls on me."
Without Petty, Middle Tennessee was able sustain and entered the break down just 31-29. Instead of taking her out for the third quarter, Insell risked playing her with four fouls, and she proved him right. The senior hit three 3-pointers down the stretch, and nine of her 11 points came after halftime. She also added five assists.
"Going back out there, I knew I couldn't let my team down," Petty said. "I wasn't going to touch them – if I had to play defense with my hands behind my back, I was going to do it."
While things may not have gone well at times for the Blue Raiders from the field, their shooting at the free-throw line kept them in the game, especially early. They hit 13 of their 17 attempts from the line in the first half and finished 17-23 for the game.
However, it was the six they missed that the Blue Raiders will remember.
"We were just aggressive," Petty said. "Once we got the posts the ball they were able to get girls on top of them, and for our guards, we have to knock those free throws down. We lost by one, and look how many we missed."
Sophomore Alex Johnson and junior Rebecca Reuter led the way from the charity stripe with 4-for-4 and 7-for-7 efforts, respectively.
Reuter made her third start in a row for Middle Tennessee and proved she should stay there. With an 11-point, five-rebound effort Thursday, she is now averaging 10.7 points in games she's started this season, compared to just 5.9 coming off the bench.
"She adds a lot of length as well as a 3-point shot," Johnson said. "I feel like the last couple of games she's stepped out of her comfort zone and knocked down some huge shots for us. She just continues to battle and has a lot of heart, and you have to commend her for that."
Johnson led the way in scoring with 16 points and two steals, and Louro added nine points.
The Blue Raiders have a little time to enjoy the holiday break, as they don't play against until a Dec. 28 contest at home against Central Michigan. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
Rick Insell Conference USA Hall of Fame Announcement
Wednesday, July 09
2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
Thursday, July 03
MTSU Women's Basketball Coach Rick Insell interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30
