Lady Raiders secure 'team win' at Marshall

Friday, January 26

Huntington, WV

5 PM

Middle Tennessee

-128, 43 CUSA

Marshall University

-613, 06 CUSA

Middle Tennessee

Marshall

1/26/2018 7:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Cumulative Stats C USA Only

Jones, Sissom combine for 39 points

By: @MTAthletics

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Middle Tennessee discovered its offense in the hills of West Virginia Friday night.

The Lady Raiders (12-8, 4-3) used their best offensive performance of the season to overpower Marshall, 73-57 at the Henderson Center behind the strong and balanced efforts of its perimeter players.

Freshman Anna Jones paced the Lady Raiders with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Jones also shared team high rebounding honors with Gabby Lyon with six each. Senior guard Abbey Sissom was also stellar with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Sissom also dished out a team-high five assists.

Junior guard Jess Louro also tallied double figures with 11 points on the strength of three 3-pointers. She was a stat sheet stuffer, also adding four rebounds and four assists.

The Lady Raiders shot a blistering 54 percent (26-of-48) from the field. They were just as hot from outside as they shot 54 percent (13-of-24) from 3-point range. Additionally, Middle Tennessee won the battle of the boards, 30-23, while also dishing out 18 assists on 26 field goals. The Lady Raiders also forced 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points.

"Just a really good team win," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. ""I'm really proud of our team and the way we started the game and finished it. It was a solid, team win on the road and those are not easy to come by."

Middle Tennessee equaled its season high for points scored in a win. The Lady Raiders also drained a season-high 13 3-pointers, besting the 12 it made in wins against UTEP and Lipscomb. The offensive uprising enabled Middle Tennessee to improve to 8-0 all-time against Marshall.

"We were able to get off to a strong start and sustain it throughout," Insell said. "We had exceptional guard play tonight. All of them competed and played well, but I thought Abbey Sissom and Anna Jones were really good tonight."

Sissom and Jones were instrumental in getting the Lady Raiders off to a strong start in the road win. The duo combined for 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the opening half with each player netting 10 points. Although Sissom and Jones were sizzling in the opening half, they were not alone.

Fellow guards Katie Collier and Louro were also dazzling as they combined for three 3-pointers in the opening half. In all, the quartet of guards Collier, Jones, Louro and Sissom combined for 31 of the team's 41 first-half points as Middle Tennessee carried a 41-28 advantage into the half.

Middle Tennessee maintained its steady, consistent play in the second half to cruise to the victory.

Alex Johnson (9), Collier (5), Gabby Lyon (4), Rebecca Reuter (3) and LaSonja Edwards (2) also reached the scoring column for the Lady Raiders.

Middle Tennessee will return to action Sunday when it plays host to Charlotte at 2 p.m.