Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, December 14
Murfreesboro, TN
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
6-3
73
vs
57
Troy
5-3
1
2
3
4
F
TROY
11
8
20
18
57
Middle Tennessee
22
16
14
21
73
Team Stats
TROY
MT
FG%
.243
.440
3FG%
.154
.235
FT%
.731
.641
RB
40
51
TO
18
26
STL
17
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: TYLER LAMB
Lady Raiders' stingy defense keys victory
12/14/2017 9:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sissom's 18 points leads the way
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee shook off a tough loss at No. 4-ranked Louisville on Saturday with a dominant defensive performance against the nation's leading offensive team in Troy at Murphy Center Thursday night.
The Lady Raiders (6-3) held on late for a 73-57 victory, pushing their all-time advantage over their old Sun Belt Conference rival Trojans (5-3) to 18-1 and 9-1 at the Murphy Center.
"I'm really proud of our young ladies," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Insell said. "It was tough coming back after that Louisville game. [Troy is] a tournament-tested team and is well-coached. I'm very proud of our young ladies for getting a win."
Troy went into the game with major offensive accolades, but it couldn't find rhythm against MT's stifling defense, the 17th-ranked unit in the country (54.4 points per game allowed).
The Trojans, who lead the nation in scoring with 94 points per game, dropped 130 in a win over Montevallo on Saturday, but had nowhere near the same success Thursday night. They logged their lowest point total and shooting percentage (17-of-70, 24 percent) of the season, and leading scorer Amanda Mendoza (14.5 points per game) finished with zero points.
It was the seventh time this season the Lady Raiders held an opponent under 60 points.
"They're a really good team out in transition," senior Gabby Lyon said. "Getting defensive boards and slowing things down, getting into sets and laying it out on the glass was what tried to do tonight, and I think we did a good job."
Middle Tennessee's defensive intensity was there from the opening tip, but it was a particularly dominant stretch over the second quarter that ultimately put the game out of reach.
The Lady Raiders jumped to a 22-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, and came out of the break on a mission. They used a 10-0 run over the first six minutes of the frame to push the lead to 21, holding Troy to an 0-of-10 start from the field over the first 6:45 of the quarter.
At the half, the score stood at 38-19, and it looked as if Middle Tennessee would cruise from there. But, the Trojans wouldn't go down easily.
They used a 13-4 run over the third and fourth quarters to cut the Lady Raiders' lead to 52-43, but would get no closer thanks to MT's continued defensive pressure.
"Coach told us that they'd been down even 20 in some games and come back to cut it to two," senior Abbey Sissom said. "We knew that lead wouldn't last if we didn't put the ball in the hole and play defense."
One of the keys to limiting the Trojans offensively was MT's rebounding ability.
Troy went in as the nation's top rebounding team (51.3 per outing) and second in offensive rebounds, averaging 24 per contest, but you wouldn't be able to tell by watching Thursday's game.
The Lady Raiders crashed the glass for a 51-40 rebounding advantage, limiting the Trojans to 19 offensive boards.
"We did a lot of transition in practice to prepare for this game, so we focused on boxing out and pushing," redshirt sophomore Jordan Majors said. "We knew we just had to play more aggressive."
Sissom, who missed the previous three games because of an injury, didn't look like she missed a beat, leading the team in the scoring department with 18 thanks to 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Sissom, who was released to return to action by physicians this week, had season highs for scoring, 3-pointers and field goals.
Senior Rebecca Reuter and Lyon both had 10 points, while Majors added career highs with 10 points and 11 rebounds, leading the team from the glass in her first career double-double. Sophomore Charity Savage was also in double-figure scoring with 10.
The balanced scoring will be crucial moving forward with junior Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year Alex Johnson likely sidelined due to injury. She didn't play Thursday.
"Our biggest cheerleader tonight was Alex Johnson," Insell said. "Right now, every one of our kids are playing their hearts out. That's all I can ask for."
The win was Middle Tennessee's eighth in a row at home dating to last season. It won't be back to the Murphy Center until Dec. 28 against Kentucky, in the meantime making a three-game road swing at Tulane on Dec. 17 and in the UTRGV Holiday Classic on Dec. 19 and 20. There it will play USC and Canisius.
The Lady Raiders (6-3) held on late for a 73-57 victory, pushing their all-time advantage over their old Sun Belt Conference rival Trojans (5-3) to 18-1 and 9-1 at the Murphy Center.
"I'm really proud of our young ladies," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Insell said. "It was tough coming back after that Louisville game. [Troy is] a tournament-tested team and is well-coached. I'm very proud of our young ladies for getting a win."
Troy went into the game with major offensive accolades, but it couldn't find rhythm against MT's stifling defense, the 17th-ranked unit in the country (54.4 points per game allowed).
The Trojans, who lead the nation in scoring with 94 points per game, dropped 130 in a win over Montevallo on Saturday, but had nowhere near the same success Thursday night. They logged their lowest point total and shooting percentage (17-of-70, 24 percent) of the season, and leading scorer Amanda Mendoza (14.5 points per game) finished with zero points.
It was the seventh time this season the Lady Raiders held an opponent under 60 points.
"They're a really good team out in transition," senior Gabby Lyon said. "Getting defensive boards and slowing things down, getting into sets and laying it out on the glass was what tried to do tonight, and I think we did a good job."
Middle Tennessee's defensive intensity was there from the opening tip, but it was a particularly dominant stretch over the second quarter that ultimately put the game out of reach.
The Lady Raiders jumped to a 22-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, and came out of the break on a mission. They used a 10-0 run over the first six minutes of the frame to push the lead to 21, holding Troy to an 0-of-10 start from the field over the first 6:45 of the quarter.
At the half, the score stood at 38-19, and it looked as if Middle Tennessee would cruise from there. But, the Trojans wouldn't go down easily.
They used a 13-4 run over the third and fourth quarters to cut the Lady Raiders' lead to 52-43, but would get no closer thanks to MT's continued defensive pressure.
"Coach told us that they'd been down even 20 in some games and come back to cut it to two," senior Abbey Sissom said. "We knew that lead wouldn't last if we didn't put the ball in the hole and play defense."
One of the keys to limiting the Trojans offensively was MT's rebounding ability.
Troy went in as the nation's top rebounding team (51.3 per outing) and second in offensive rebounds, averaging 24 per contest, but you wouldn't be able to tell by watching Thursday's game.
The Lady Raiders crashed the glass for a 51-40 rebounding advantage, limiting the Trojans to 19 offensive boards.
"We did a lot of transition in practice to prepare for this game, so we focused on boxing out and pushing," redshirt sophomore Jordan Majors said. "We knew we just had to play more aggressive."
Sissom, who missed the previous three games because of an injury, didn't look like she missed a beat, leading the team in the scoring department with 18 thanks to 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Sissom, who was released to return to action by physicians this week, had season highs for scoring, 3-pointers and field goals.
Senior Rebecca Reuter and Lyon both had 10 points, while Majors added career highs with 10 points and 11 rebounds, leading the team from the glass in her first career double-double. Sophomore Charity Savage was also in double-figure scoring with 10.
The balanced scoring will be crucial moving forward with junior Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year Alex Johnson likely sidelined due to injury. She didn't play Thursday.
"Our biggest cheerleader tonight was Alex Johnson," Insell said. "Right now, every one of our kids are playing their hearts out. That's all I can ask for."
The win was Middle Tennessee's eighth in a row at home dating to last season. It won't be back to the Murphy Center until Dec. 28 against Kentucky, in the meantime making a three-game road swing at Tulane on Dec. 17 and in the UTRGV Holiday Classic on Dec. 19 and 20. There it will play USC and Canisius.
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
