Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, January 8
Miami, FL
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-53,30 CUSA
69
at
65
FIU
-54,21 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Middle Tenn.
17
6
22
24
69
FIU
13
18
15
19
65
Lady Raiders flex muscle, win fifth straight
1/8/2021 9:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MT survives FIU, 69-65
MIAMI – Middle Tennessee flexed its collective muscle and answered a major gut check, rallying from a 14-point, second-half deficit, to survive FIU, 69-65, here Friday night.
The Lady Raiders (5-3, 3-0) won their fifth straight overall and their seventh straight C-USA win dating back to last season. FIU (5-4, 2-1) dropped its first league game.
It was far from easy for the C-USA preseason favorite Lady Raiders.
"This is FIU's best team in seven or eight years," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They know what they are doing, and they executed what they wanted to do. You just have to give our little group a little of credit. They battled and showed a lot of grit on the road to get this win."
The nation's leading scorer, Anastasia Hayes, continued her offensive prowess with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting to go with four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Aislynn Hayes was also spectacular with 16 points along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Alexis Whittington added seven points and nine rebounds, Deja Cage finished with eight points and eight rebounds, and Courtney Whitson tallied seven points, seven rebounds and two steals.
"It was a huge team win and one we really needed on the road," Anastasia Hayes said. "I'm so proud of our team and the way everyone responded and contributed to help us get the victory. FIU is a good team and this win required a lot of guts, character and effort from our team. We responded."
Indeed, they did.
Middle Tennessee trailed by 14, 37-23, with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter after FIU used a 21-2 run from late in the first half to midway into the third quarter to build the biggest lead of the game for either team.
That's when the Lady Raiders flexed their muscles and mounted a comeback.
The Hayes sisters were at their best in the clutch with the game hanging in the balance.
They combined for 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line in the final 16 minutes.
C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Anastasia Hayes scored 21 of her 29 in the final 16 minutes, going 8-of-13 from the field, 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, along with two assists and two steals.
"(Annie) just bowed her neck," Insell said. "She got that smile on her face and when you see that, you know it's pretty much over."
Aislynn Hayes was also stupendous when it mattered most. The sophomore guard scored 12 points in the final 12 minutes, going 3-of-6 from the field, 5-of-7 from the free-throw line and adding three assists.
"Aislynn came up with some clutch plays in key moments," Insell said. "The Hayes sisters came up big, and I'm so proud of Alexis, Courtney, Deja, Jada, (Kyshusha), Taylor, they just all did something to help us win the game. It was a great team win."
Middle Tennessee used a 15-2 run from late in the third quarter into the fourth to erase the 14-point deficit. The Hayes sisters combined for 18 points in the final 6:12 of the third quarter with Anastasia netting 13.
Anastasia Hayes' driving layup with 1:08 remaining pushed the lead to 65-60. FIU rallied to cut the deficit to 66-65 with 12 seconds remaining. Whittington hit the second of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give the Lady Raiders a 67-65 lead.
FIU had a final chance to tie the game or take the lead, but Whitson made an outstanding defensive play, deflecting the ball away from an offensive player, running it down for the steal and was then fouled. She knocked down both free throws to seal the win.
Emerald Ekpiteta had an outstanding game for FIU with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 18 rebounds.
The two teams will complete the two-game C-USA series Saturday at 1 PM.
The Lady Raiders (5-3, 3-0) won their fifth straight overall and their seventh straight C-USA win dating back to last season. FIU (5-4, 2-1) dropped its first league game.
It was far from easy for the C-USA preseason favorite Lady Raiders.
"This is FIU's best team in seven or eight years," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They know what they are doing, and they executed what they wanted to do. You just have to give our little group a little of credit. They battled and showed a lot of grit on the road to get this win."
The nation's leading scorer, Anastasia Hayes, continued her offensive prowess with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting to go with four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Aislynn Hayes was also spectacular with 16 points along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Alexis Whittington added seven points and nine rebounds, Deja Cage finished with eight points and eight rebounds, and Courtney Whitson tallied seven points, seven rebounds and two steals.
"It was a huge team win and one we really needed on the road," Anastasia Hayes said. "I'm so proud of our team and the way everyone responded and contributed to help us get the victory. FIU is a good team and this win required a lot of guts, character and effort from our team. We responded."
Indeed, they did.
Middle Tennessee trailed by 14, 37-23, with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter after FIU used a 21-2 run from late in the first half to midway into the third quarter to build the biggest lead of the game for either team.
That's when the Lady Raiders flexed their muscles and mounted a comeback.
The Hayes sisters were at their best in the clutch with the game hanging in the balance.
They combined for 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line in the final 16 minutes.
C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Anastasia Hayes scored 21 of her 29 in the final 16 minutes, going 8-of-13 from the field, 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, along with two assists and two steals.
"(Annie) just bowed her neck," Insell said. "She got that smile on her face and when you see that, you know it's pretty much over."
Aislynn Hayes was also stupendous when it mattered most. The sophomore guard scored 12 points in the final 12 minutes, going 3-of-6 from the field, 5-of-7 from the free-throw line and adding three assists.
"Aislynn came up with some clutch plays in key moments," Insell said. "The Hayes sisters came up big, and I'm so proud of Alexis, Courtney, Deja, Jada, (Kyshusha), Taylor, they just all did something to help us win the game. It was a great team win."
Middle Tennessee used a 15-2 run from late in the third quarter into the fourth to erase the 14-point deficit. The Hayes sisters combined for 18 points in the final 6:12 of the third quarter with Anastasia netting 13.
Anastasia Hayes' driving layup with 1:08 remaining pushed the lead to 65-60. FIU rallied to cut the deficit to 66-65 with 12 seconds remaining. Whittington hit the second of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give the Lady Raiders a 67-65 lead.
FIU had a final chance to tie the game or take the lead, but Whitson made an outstanding defensive play, deflecting the ball away from an offensive player, running it down for the steal and was then fouled. She knocked down both free throws to seal the win.
Emerald Ekpiteta had an outstanding game for FIU with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 18 rebounds.
The two teams will complete the two-game C-USA series Saturday at 1 PM.
Team Stats
MTSU
FIU
FG%
.414
.348
3FG%
.200
.207
FT%
.696
.579
RB
39
47
TO
16
15
STL
10
6
Game Leaders
Pts
29
FGM
12
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballSeason Preview – MTSU Women's Basketball 2025
Friday, October 24
True Blue Testimonials - Savannah Davis MTSU Women's Basketball Guard - Presented by MMC
Thursday, October 16
2025 MTSU Basketball tickets on sale now - October 1st
Wednesday, October 01
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
