Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, February 25
Charlotte, NC
12 PM
Middle Tennessee
-1711, 96 CUSA
54
at
53
Charlotte
-1215, 86 CUSA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee | 5 | 24 | 13 | 12 | 54 |
| Charlotte | 14 | 5 | 19 | 15 | 53 |
Team Stats
MT
CHA
FG%
.281
.383
3FG%
.276
.286
FT%
.700
.625
RB
38
37
TO
13
15
STL
11
9
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
Lady Raiders win thriller at Charlotte
2/25/2018 2:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Johnson's 21 leads the way
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Middle Tennessee kept itself in position for one of the coveted top four spots in the C-USA Championships by winning another classic against Charlotte, 54-53, at Halton Arena Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Raiders (17-11, 9-6) moved into a tie with Louisiana Tech for fourth, which carries one of the four first-round byes, with another solid defense effort and timely offense.
It was another nail-biter between the two C-USA rivals as Middle Tennessee improved to 6-0 against the 49ers (12-15, 8-6). It was the third time in six meetings the game was decided by two points or less.
"We are very fortunate to get out of Charlotte with the win," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They have been playing very well and (Head Coach Cara) Consuegra and her staff do an outstanding job. Both teams played as though there was something on the line today, and there was."
Alex Johnson was a workhorse inside and finished with a game-high 21 points while adding five rebounds and three steals. None of her 21 points were bigger than two pressure-packed free throws with 25 seconds left. Trailing 53-52, Johnson was fouled and calmly sank both tosses to give Middle Tennessee a 54-53 edge.
Johnson then blocked Octavia Wilson's potential go-ahead shot. Johnson would get fouled with 10 seconds remaining and missed both free throws; however, Charlotte was unable to get off a good look against Middle Tennessee's defense as time expired.
"I knew I had to be prepared and step up because we were going inside," Johnson said. "I wanted to come through for my teammates. It was a tough game and an important game for us. I'm glad we battled and found a way to win."
Johnson wasn't the only outstanding Lady Raider. Jess Louro turned in her third career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with four steals. Louro connected on four 3-pointers but the biggest came with 1:45 remaining to give the Lady Raiders a 52-51 advantage just seconds after Charlotte had regained the advantage.
Anna Jones also reached double figures with 11 points and added four rebounds.
Guard Abbey Sissom was equally stellar with seven points but she also dished out six assists and collected a pair of steals in leading the Lady Raider offense.
Overall, it was a nip-and-tuck game – as anticipated.
After a sluggish first quarter that saw Middle Tennessee trailing 14-5, the Lady Raiders flipped the script in the second quarter to seize momentum at the half.
Middle Tennessee was 1-for-13 from the field in the first 10 minutes but that quickly changed in the second quarter. The Lady Raiders were 7-of-15 in the second frame on the way to outscoring Charlotte 24-5 in the quarter and taking a 29-19 halftime lead.
The Lady Raiders unloaded 10 3-pointers in the second quarter, knocking down five. Jones and Louro each supplied two 3-pointers in the quarter, and Sissom added one. The long-range shots, coupled with stingy defense, helped erase Charlotte's early nine-point lead. The Lady Raiders shot 47 percent (7-of-15) in the quarter but their defense didn't wane.
While improving its shooting, Middle Tennessee continued to display stellar, disciplined defense. The blue-clad, blue-collar workers held Charlotte to 2-for-10 shooting in the second quarter and 35 percent (7-of-20) in the opening half.
Middle Tennessee will return to action when it plays Old Dominion in the regular season finale Saturday. It will be Senior Day at Murphy Center as the Lady Raiders honor Gabby Lyon, Rebecca Reuter and Abbey Sissom.
The Lady Raiders (17-11, 9-6) moved into a tie with Louisiana Tech for fourth, which carries one of the four first-round byes, with another solid defense effort and timely offense.
It was another nail-biter between the two C-USA rivals as Middle Tennessee improved to 6-0 against the 49ers (12-15, 8-6). It was the third time in six meetings the game was decided by two points or less.
"We are very fortunate to get out of Charlotte with the win," Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They have been playing very well and (Head Coach Cara) Consuegra and her staff do an outstanding job. Both teams played as though there was something on the line today, and there was."
Alex Johnson was a workhorse inside and finished with a game-high 21 points while adding five rebounds and three steals. None of her 21 points were bigger than two pressure-packed free throws with 25 seconds left. Trailing 53-52, Johnson was fouled and calmly sank both tosses to give Middle Tennessee a 54-53 edge.
Johnson then blocked Octavia Wilson's potential go-ahead shot. Johnson would get fouled with 10 seconds remaining and missed both free throws; however, Charlotte was unable to get off a good look against Middle Tennessee's defense as time expired.
"I knew I had to be prepared and step up because we were going inside," Johnson said. "I wanted to come through for my teammates. It was a tough game and an important game for us. I'm glad we battled and found a way to win."
Johnson wasn't the only outstanding Lady Raider. Jess Louro turned in her third career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with four steals. Louro connected on four 3-pointers but the biggest came with 1:45 remaining to give the Lady Raiders a 52-51 advantage just seconds after Charlotte had regained the advantage.
Anna Jones also reached double figures with 11 points and added four rebounds.
Guard Abbey Sissom was equally stellar with seven points but she also dished out six assists and collected a pair of steals in leading the Lady Raider offense.
Overall, it was a nip-and-tuck game – as anticipated.
After a sluggish first quarter that saw Middle Tennessee trailing 14-5, the Lady Raiders flipped the script in the second quarter to seize momentum at the half.
Middle Tennessee was 1-for-13 from the field in the first 10 minutes but that quickly changed in the second quarter. The Lady Raiders were 7-of-15 in the second frame on the way to outscoring Charlotte 24-5 in the quarter and taking a 29-19 halftime lead.
The Lady Raiders unloaded 10 3-pointers in the second quarter, knocking down five. Jones and Louro each supplied two 3-pointers in the quarter, and Sissom added one. The long-range shots, coupled with stingy defense, helped erase Charlotte's early nine-point lead. The Lady Raiders shot 47 percent (7-of-15) in the quarter but their defense didn't wane.
While improving its shooting, Middle Tennessee continued to display stellar, disciplined defense. The blue-clad, blue-collar workers held Charlotte to 2-for-10 shooting in the second quarter and 35 percent (7-of-20) in the opening half.
Middle Tennessee will return to action when it plays Old Dominion in the regular season finale Saturday. It will be Senior Day at Murphy Center as the Lady Raiders honor Gabby Lyon, Rebecca Reuter and Abbey Sissom.
8th MTSU WBB Head Coach - Matt Insell
Wednesday, April 01
MTSU Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs Cleveland State on 3/26/26
Thursday, March 26
WBB: Matt Insell Introductory Press Conference
Tuesday, March 24
MTSU Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs St. Bonaventure on 3/23/26
Monday, March 23
