Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, February 16
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
19-7, 10-3
53
vs
59
Marshall
15-11, 9-4
1
2
3
4
F
Marshall
16
8
17
18
59
Middle Tennessee
13
8
17
15
53
Team Stats
MARW
MT
FG%
.487
.314
3FG%
.476
.148
FT%
.917
.708
RB
25
33
TO
13
4
STL
1
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
9
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
4
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballTough shooting night hampers Lady Raiders
2/16/2019 7:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MT falls to Marshall, 59-53
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee couldn't overcome a tough shooting night against Marshall, falling in a tight affair at the Murphy Center Saturday night.
A 59-53 loss was the first for the Lady Raiders (19-7, 10-3) in nine games all-time against the Thundering Herd (15-11, 9-4). The blue and white also donned pink and blue jerseys to support breast cancer awareness in their annual Play for Kay game.
"They played harder … and they knocked down shots," MT Head Coach Rick Insell said. "You're wondering why you lost the ballgame, it's self-explanatory … we didn't play smart."
The teams were never separated by more than six points, and with 1:44 remaining, two Alex Johnson free throws knotted the score at 52. The pair ended a 6-0 run for MT, tying the game for the sixth time.
After making the valiant comeback, the same problem reared its ugly head that Middle Tennessee had faced all night.
The Lady Raiders didn't make another shot from the field, missing their last six overall to end with a 31.4 shooting percentage (16-51). They were also just 4-for-27 from 3-point range.
It was a bit of a shocking outcome considering two days prior against WKU, Middle Tennessee set a program record by shooting 66.7 percent from the floor.
"It was like we came out not ready to play," senior A'Queen Hayes said. "We need our shooters from the jump … and we missed a lot of easy baskets.
"A lot of it was our fault, but they came out and played hard against us. Props to them … they came in and beat us on our home court, and that's unacceptable."
While the shooting woes were apparent for much of the night, offensive rebounds and good ball movement kept the Lady Raiders in the ballgame. They also did an outstanding job of getting to the free-throw line, though their 70-percent mark (17-24) left a little to be desired from Insell.
Middle Tennessee won both the turnover battle (four committed and 13 forced) and rebounding battle (33-25) and ripped down 15 offensive boards, leading to 11 second-chance points. In the end, however, the inconsistencies in the shooting department were the home squad's downfall.
Hayes and Johnson combined for 12-for-22 from the floor and 13-for-18 from the charity stripe with 39 points. The rest of the team managed 4-for-29 shooting, 2-for-23 from long range.
"We had four turnovers and lost the game," Insell said. "That's got to be a record for me, to be honest with you.
"We just have to get back to practice and get after it harder, then take it from there."
Hayes ended with a game-high 23 points and team-high seven rebounds, while Johnson had 16 points, six rebounds and two of MT's three assists.
The Lady Raiders hope to get more offensive support for its senior leaders moving forward. They'll get a week off before hitting the hardwood again on the road at UAB Feb. 23.
"We'll come back Monday ready to go in practice," Hayes said. "There's no taking it easy and no light days. We have to get prepared for Saturday."
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
A 59-53 loss was the first for the Lady Raiders (19-7, 10-3) in nine games all-time against the Thundering Herd (15-11, 9-4). The blue and white also donned pink and blue jerseys to support breast cancer awareness in their annual Play for Kay game.
"They played harder … and they knocked down shots," MT Head Coach Rick Insell said. "You're wondering why you lost the ballgame, it's self-explanatory … we didn't play smart."
The teams were never separated by more than six points, and with 1:44 remaining, two Alex Johnson free throws knotted the score at 52. The pair ended a 6-0 run for MT, tying the game for the sixth time.
After making the valiant comeback, the same problem reared its ugly head that Middle Tennessee had faced all night.
The Lady Raiders didn't make another shot from the field, missing their last six overall to end with a 31.4 shooting percentage (16-51). They were also just 4-for-27 from 3-point range.
It was a bit of a shocking outcome considering two days prior against WKU, Middle Tennessee set a program record by shooting 66.7 percent from the floor.
"It was like we came out not ready to play," senior A'Queen Hayes said. "We need our shooters from the jump … and we missed a lot of easy baskets.
"A lot of it was our fault, but they came out and played hard against us. Props to them … they came in and beat us on our home court, and that's unacceptable."
While the shooting woes were apparent for much of the night, offensive rebounds and good ball movement kept the Lady Raiders in the ballgame. They also did an outstanding job of getting to the free-throw line, though their 70-percent mark (17-24) left a little to be desired from Insell.
Middle Tennessee won both the turnover battle (four committed and 13 forced) and rebounding battle (33-25) and ripped down 15 offensive boards, leading to 11 second-chance points. In the end, however, the inconsistencies in the shooting department were the home squad's downfall.
Hayes and Johnson combined for 12-for-22 from the floor and 13-for-18 from the charity stripe with 39 points. The rest of the team managed 4-for-29 shooting, 2-for-23 from long range.
"We had four turnovers and lost the game," Insell said. "That's got to be a record for me, to be honest with you.
"We just have to get back to practice and get after it harder, then take it from there."
Hayes ended with a game-high 23 points and team-high seven rebounds, while Johnson had 16 points, six rebounds and two of MT's three assists.
The Lady Raiders hope to get more offensive support for its senior leaders moving forward. They'll get a week off before hitting the hardwood again on the road at UAB Feb. 23.
"We'll come back Monday ready to go in practice," Hayes said. "There's no taking it easy and no light days. We have to get prepared for Saturday."
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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