Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, February 2
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
13-8, 8-2
77
vs
63
UTSA (ESPN3)
10-10,6-3
1
2
3
4
F
UTSA
18
10
26
9
63
Middle Tennessee
13
17
25
22
77
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Team Stats
UTSA
MT
FG%
.364
.475
3FG%
.412
.438
FT%
.889
.556
RB
34
37
TO
20
18
STL
12
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
11
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballFour reach double figures in Lady Raider win
2/2/2017 8:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MT maintains share of first with 77-63 triumph
Season Stats
C-USA Only Stats
Box Score
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee kept pace in the race for Conference USA's top seed with a 77-63 victory over UTSA Thursday at the Murphy Center.
It was the 11th conference home win in a row for the Lady Raiders (13-8, 8-2), who remain tied with Charlotte and WKU atop the league standings. They are now 4-0 all-time against the Roadrunners (10-10, 6-3), who came into the game one-half game behind the leaders in a tight race.
"We knew it was going to be tough; they have a good basketball team," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "I was really, really proud of our young ladies."
The game featured a matchup between C-USA's second and third leading scorers in MT's Alex Johnson (19.9 points per game) and UTSA's Loryn Goodwin (18.5), but it was a combined effort that got the job done for the Lady Raiders.
Four players ended in double-figure scoring for MT, led by Johnson with a game-high 24 on 11-for-14 shooting. Sophomore Jess Louro added a career-high 17, while junior Abbey Sissom had 16. Senior Ty Petty, who scored the first 10 points of the game for the Raiders, had 20 and also moved into third on the school's all-time assists list with nine on the night.
"That showed what our team can do," Petty said. "A lot of people stepped up … and they all hit big shots for us. I think us coming together and sticking together is really showing. Our team is really special … as long as we stick to our system; we're going to go far."
The Roadrunners ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run to take an 18-13 lead into the first break, but it wouldn't last long. Middle Tennessee found itself offensively in the second quarter, starting the frame on a 10-0 run and ending the first half with a 30-28 advantage.
It was the Blue Raiders' work from distance that helped them grab momentum. C-USA's second-best 3-point shooting team (35.5 percent) hit a season-high 14 3-pointers on 34 attempts, led by Louro's and Sissom's five bombs apiece.
That set a new career high for Louro, who also had a team-high seven rebounds. She said a new face on the bench, former Lady Raider and current graduate assistant Brea Edwards, has really helped her shot this season.
"We knew they were going to double in on Alex [Johnson], so on the kick outs we knew we would just have to hit those shots," Louro said. "Last year, [Edwards] was really helpful with me even when she was a senior. Now with her coming back, that's helpful because she's a very good shooter."
Middle Tennessee grabbed a 13-point lead in the third quarter and appeared to be cruising, but the Roadrunners came storming back with a 14-2 run over the last three minutes of the quarter to cut the Blue Raider advantage to 55-54 going into the fourth.
Just as it looked like UTSA had taken all of the momentum, MT found itself in the fourth quarter. The Blue Raiders outscored the Roadrunners 22-9 in the final frame and limited them to just 25 percent shooting.
"We just executed our offense, is what we did," Insell said. "There late we were able to move them out a step and get a hand up [defensively] … then we got some big rebounds."
Middle Tennessee is next in action Saturday against UTEP. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff and can be viewed on ESPN3.
After squaring off with UTEP, the Raiders hit the road for games at Old Dominion and Charlotte on Feb. 9 and 11, respectively. Both are slated for 6 p.m. tips, and the matchup with Charlotte can be viewed on ESPN3.
C-USA Only Stats
Box Score
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee kept pace in the race for Conference USA's top seed with a 77-63 victory over UTSA Thursday at the Murphy Center.
It was the 11th conference home win in a row for the Lady Raiders (13-8, 8-2), who remain tied with Charlotte and WKU atop the league standings. They are now 4-0 all-time against the Roadrunners (10-10, 6-3), who came into the game one-half game behind the leaders in a tight race.
"We knew it was going to be tough; they have a good basketball team," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "I was really, really proud of our young ladies."
The game featured a matchup between C-USA's second and third leading scorers in MT's Alex Johnson (19.9 points per game) and UTSA's Loryn Goodwin (18.5), but it was a combined effort that got the job done for the Lady Raiders.
Four players ended in double-figure scoring for MT, led by Johnson with a game-high 24 on 11-for-14 shooting. Sophomore Jess Louro added a career-high 17, while junior Abbey Sissom had 16. Senior Ty Petty, who scored the first 10 points of the game for the Raiders, had 20 and also moved into third on the school's all-time assists list with nine on the night.
"That showed what our team can do," Petty said. "A lot of people stepped up … and they all hit big shots for us. I think us coming together and sticking together is really showing. Our team is really special … as long as we stick to our system; we're going to go far."
The Roadrunners ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run to take an 18-13 lead into the first break, but it wouldn't last long. Middle Tennessee found itself offensively in the second quarter, starting the frame on a 10-0 run and ending the first half with a 30-28 advantage.
It was the Blue Raiders' work from distance that helped them grab momentum. C-USA's second-best 3-point shooting team (35.5 percent) hit a season-high 14 3-pointers on 34 attempts, led by Louro's and Sissom's five bombs apiece.
That set a new career high for Louro, who also had a team-high seven rebounds. She said a new face on the bench, former Lady Raider and current graduate assistant Brea Edwards, has really helped her shot this season.
"We knew they were going to double in on Alex [Johnson], so on the kick outs we knew we would just have to hit those shots," Louro said. "Last year, [Edwards] was really helpful with me even when she was a senior. Now with her coming back, that's helpful because she's a very good shooter."
Middle Tennessee grabbed a 13-point lead in the third quarter and appeared to be cruising, but the Roadrunners came storming back with a 14-2 run over the last three minutes of the quarter to cut the Blue Raider advantage to 55-54 going into the fourth.
Just as it looked like UTSA had taken all of the momentum, MT found itself in the fourth quarter. The Blue Raiders outscored the Roadrunners 22-9 in the final frame and limited them to just 25 percent shooting.
"We just executed our offense, is what we did," Insell said. "There late we were able to move them out a step and get a hand up [defensively] … then we got some big rebounds."
Middle Tennessee is next in action Saturday against UTEP. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff and can be viewed on ESPN3.
After squaring off with UTEP, the Raiders hit the road for games at Old Dominion and Charlotte on Feb. 9 and 11, respectively. Both are slated for 6 p.m. tips, and the matchup with Charlotte can be viewed on ESPN3.
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
