Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Savage making most of opportunity
11/26/2019 3:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Senior forward having breakout season
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Graduation and injuries created a need for a new post presence for Middle Tennessee early this season.
Through five games, that production has come from a senior who's finally getting her chance to prove herself on the big stage.
Senior Charity Savage came into this season with an entirely new role as her team's only returning four-year senior and was tasked at filling that hole in the post.
The athletic, 6-foot forward only started three games in the first three years of her career, and she had never scored more than 60 points or grabbed more than 43 rebounds in a season. Yet, when she entered the starting lineup in the season opener against East Carolina, she looked like a seasoned veteran ready to lead her team into a new campaign.
Savage played 35 minutes and scored a career-high 16 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots and 8-of-10 free throws and grabbing 13 rebounds for her first double-double. The team won 68-66.
The breakout performance proved to be the beginning of what was to come from the senior. Through five games, she's already scored 51 points (10.2 per game) and grabbed 56 rebounds (11.2 per game), becoming the first Lady Raider ever to record double-digit rebounds in five straight games to start a season.
"It felt really good, it felt like the hard work has paid off," Savage said. "I honestly didn't know I had that many rebounds … I thought I had like seven until I went to the bench."
Middle Tennessee has rocketed to a 4-1 start this season, thanks in large part to Savage's steadiness inside.
She's done it on both ends of the floor, shooting better than 56 percent and grabbing more than four offensive rebounds per game while registering five blocks and seven steals, already matching her single-season career highs in both. She's improved her averages from 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in her first three years to 11 points and 10.8 rebounds this season.
Savage credits the last couple of years of hard work to her fast start as a senior.
"The hard work has paid off," she said. "It's been a long three years of hard work … but it's been fun this season."
Her work ethic has been critically important to the growth of this year's team in the first few weeks of the season.
The Lady Raiders have one of the youngest rosters in the country, including eight players who weren't on last year's team. They have nine underclassmen — five sophomores and four freshmen — against just two seniors, Savage and graduate transfer Shakyna Payne. That makes Savage's knowledge of the day-to-day routines of the program a big learning tool for the younger girls. She's also a wonderful student.
"I call her my mom," freshman Courtney Whitson said. "She leads by example, and that's important. … She deserves every bit of it because she works really hard."
Having a senior who works as hard as Savage that the young players can look up to has been a blessing forHead Coach Rick Insell. It's nothing he hasn't seen out of the senior for years, though.
"Couldn't happen to a better person," he said. "She's just a great student-athlete, very loyal to this university and the Lady Raiders basketball program.
"You just aren't going to find a person who has the character and the quality that Charity has."
Savage is finally getting her opportunity to shine, and she's proving she's ready to lead the Lady Raiders.
Through five games, that production has come from a senior who's finally getting her chance to prove herself on the big stage.
Senior Charity Savage came into this season with an entirely new role as her team's only returning four-year senior and was tasked at filling that hole in the post.
The athletic, 6-foot forward only started three games in the first three years of her career, and she had never scored more than 60 points or grabbed more than 43 rebounds in a season. Yet, when she entered the starting lineup in the season opener against East Carolina, she looked like a seasoned veteran ready to lead her team into a new campaign.
Savage played 35 minutes and scored a career-high 16 points, hitting 4-of-5 shots and 8-of-10 free throws and grabbing 13 rebounds for her first double-double. The team won 68-66.
The breakout performance proved to be the beginning of what was to come from the senior. Through five games, she's already scored 51 points (10.2 per game) and grabbed 56 rebounds (11.2 per game), becoming the first Lady Raider ever to record double-digit rebounds in five straight games to start a season.
"It felt really good, it felt like the hard work has paid off," Savage said. "I honestly didn't know I had that many rebounds … I thought I had like seven until I went to the bench."
Middle Tennessee has rocketed to a 4-1 start this season, thanks in large part to Savage's steadiness inside.
She's done it on both ends of the floor, shooting better than 56 percent and grabbing more than four offensive rebounds per game while registering five blocks and seven steals, already matching her single-season career highs in both. She's improved her averages from 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in her first three years to 11 points and 10.8 rebounds this season.
Savage credits the last couple of years of hard work to her fast start as a senior.
"The hard work has paid off," she said. "It's been a long three years of hard work … but it's been fun this season."
Her work ethic has been critically important to the growth of this year's team in the first few weeks of the season.
The Lady Raiders have one of the youngest rosters in the country, including eight players who weren't on last year's team. They have nine underclassmen — five sophomores and four freshmen — against just two seniors, Savage and graduate transfer Shakyna Payne. That makes Savage's knowledge of the day-to-day routines of the program a big learning tool for the younger girls. She's also a wonderful student.
"I call her my mom," freshman Courtney Whitson said. "She leads by example, and that's important. … She deserves every bit of it because she works really hard."
Having a senior who works as hard as Savage that the young players can look up to has been a blessing forHead Coach Rick Insell. It's nothing he hasn't seen out of the senior for years, though.
"Couldn't happen to a better person," he said. "She's just a great student-athlete, very loyal to this university and the Lady Raiders basketball program.
"You just aren't going to find a person who has the character and the quality that Charity has."
Savage is finally getting her opportunity to shine, and she's proving she's ready to lead the Lady Raiders.
Players Mentioned
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