Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, February 22
El Paso, TX
2:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-189, 105 CUSA
92
at
80
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UTEP
-1412, 78 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Middle Tennessee
16
26
24
26
92
UTEP
17
19
24
20
80
Team Stats
MT
UTEPW
FG%
.478
.414
3FG%
.429
.211
FT%
.571
.783
RB
41
44
TO
19
21
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballLady Raiders answer gut-check at UTEP
2/22/2020 5:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Three score 20-plus in 92-80 win
EL PASO, Texas. – Middle Tennessee has proven to be a resilient team following a loss this season and that trend continued in a 92-80 clutch road win at UTEP that kept the Lady Raiders in position for a first-round bye in the Conference USA Tournament Saturday.
The Lady Raiders (18-9, 10-5) improved to 8-1 following a setback, including seven straight wins, following a gut-wrenching 61-59 loss to UAB Thursday.
"I'm really proud of how our team fought back under adverse circumstances to get a big road win," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "We had a short turnaround following Thursday's game and then had to make a tough road trip to face a good UTEP team that plays very well at home. This was a gut-check and our young ladies answered it."
Middle Tennessee scored a season-high 92 points on the strength of three players with 20-plus points, led by the superlative exploits of Anastasia Hayes, who fell one rebound shy of her second triple-double this season. Hayes finished with 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
Alexis Whittington also enjoyed a stellar afternoon with a career-high 20 points on the strength of six 3-pointers, also a career high. Aislynn Hayes had another superb outing with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
It marks the first the Lady Raiders have had three players with 20-plus points in the same game since Dec. 18, 2011 when Kortni Jones (24), Ebony Rowe (21) and Icelyn Elie (20) all reached the mark.
Taylor Sutton gave the Lady Raiders four in double figures with 15 points and added five rebounds and two steals. Middle Tennessee improved to 13-0 when placing four players in double figures scoring.
Middle Tennessee connected for 12 3-pointers, tying its season high for treys and shot 43 percent beyond the arc. Whittington keyed the long-range attack with six 3-pointers in eight attempts. The sophomore also pulled five rebounds and collected three steals. Overall, Whittington was 7-of-10 from the field as she also established a new career high for field goals made.
The Lady Raiders also tied their season high for assists with 20, led by a career-high 11 dimes from Anastasia Hayes. Aislynn Hayes added five as the sisters combined for 16 helpers.
The high-scoring game went back-and-forth and the Lady Raiders clung to a slim 78-75 lead with 5:37 remaining, but Whittington's sixth 3-pointer ignited a 14-5 run over the final 5:09 as Middle Tennessee pulled away for the win.
The Lady Raiders were highly efficient from beyond the arc in the first half and it was a barrage of 3-pointers at the end of the second quarter that sent the Lady Raiders into the half with a 42-36 advantage.
Middle Tennessee connected on 6-of-11 3-pointers in the opening half and blistered the nets to the tune of 55 percent, including three straight in a span of 1:13 to end the second quarter. Whittington's trey with 1:13 remaining in the half ignited a 9-3 Lady Raider run. Aislynn Hayes followed with a deep 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining to give Middle Tennessee a 39-36 advantage.
Whittington came up with another sterling play to end the half when she collected a steal with 1.3 seconds remaining and immediately launched a 22-footer from the top of the key that was true, sending Middle Tennessee into the half with a 42-36 cushion.
Middle Tennessee had a balanced attack in the opening half as all seven players who saw action scored, led by Aislynn Hayes with 10 points and two assists. Anastasia Hayes followed with nine points and assisted on four other baskets. Taylor Sutton and Whittington added six points each, followed by Whitson with five points and four rebounds.
The Lady Raiders return to action when they play host to rival WKU next Saturday. Tipoff at Murphy Center is 5 p.m.
The Lady Raiders (18-9, 10-5) improved to 8-1 following a setback, including seven straight wins, following a gut-wrenching 61-59 loss to UAB Thursday.
"I'm really proud of how our team fought back under adverse circumstances to get a big road win," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "We had a short turnaround following Thursday's game and then had to make a tough road trip to face a good UTEP team that plays very well at home. This was a gut-check and our young ladies answered it."
Middle Tennessee scored a season-high 92 points on the strength of three players with 20-plus points, led by the superlative exploits of Anastasia Hayes, who fell one rebound shy of her second triple-double this season. Hayes finished with 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
Alexis Whittington also enjoyed a stellar afternoon with a career-high 20 points on the strength of six 3-pointers, also a career high. Aislynn Hayes had another superb outing with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
It marks the first the Lady Raiders have had three players with 20-plus points in the same game since Dec. 18, 2011 when Kortni Jones (24), Ebony Rowe (21) and Icelyn Elie (20) all reached the mark.
Taylor Sutton gave the Lady Raiders four in double figures with 15 points and added five rebounds and two steals. Middle Tennessee improved to 13-0 when placing four players in double figures scoring.
Middle Tennessee connected for 12 3-pointers, tying its season high for treys and shot 43 percent beyond the arc. Whittington keyed the long-range attack with six 3-pointers in eight attempts. The sophomore also pulled five rebounds and collected three steals. Overall, Whittington was 7-of-10 from the field as she also established a new career high for field goals made.
The Lady Raiders also tied their season high for assists with 20, led by a career-high 11 dimes from Anastasia Hayes. Aislynn Hayes added five as the sisters combined for 16 helpers.
The high-scoring game went back-and-forth and the Lady Raiders clung to a slim 78-75 lead with 5:37 remaining, but Whittington's sixth 3-pointer ignited a 14-5 run over the final 5:09 as Middle Tennessee pulled away for the win.
The Lady Raiders were highly efficient from beyond the arc in the first half and it was a barrage of 3-pointers at the end of the second quarter that sent the Lady Raiders into the half with a 42-36 advantage.
Middle Tennessee connected on 6-of-11 3-pointers in the opening half and blistered the nets to the tune of 55 percent, including three straight in a span of 1:13 to end the second quarter. Whittington's trey with 1:13 remaining in the half ignited a 9-3 Lady Raider run. Aislynn Hayes followed with a deep 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining to give Middle Tennessee a 39-36 advantage.
Whittington came up with another sterling play to end the half when she collected a steal with 1.3 seconds remaining and immediately launched a 22-footer from the top of the key that was true, sending Middle Tennessee into the half with a 42-36 cushion.
Middle Tennessee had a balanced attack in the opening half as all seven players who saw action scored, led by Aislynn Hayes with 10 points and two assists. Anastasia Hayes followed with nine points and assisted on four other baskets. Taylor Sutton and Whittington added six points each, followed by Whitson with five points and four rebounds.
The Lady Raiders return to action when they play host to rival WKU next Saturday. Tipoff at Murphy Center is 5 p.m.
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Rick Insell Conference USA Hall of Fame Announcement
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2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
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MTSU Women's Basketball Coach Rick Insell interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30
