Lady Raiders roll in final preseason tune-up

Thursday, November 4

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

UT Southern

11/4/2021 9:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Freshman Gregory pours in 32 to lead the attack

By: SAM DOUGHTON, MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee dominated defensively, compiling 10 steals and holding UT Southern to just 35.8 percent from the field, as the Lady Raiders rolled over the Firehawks 93-52 Thursday night in the Murphy Center.

The Lady Raiders dominated on the glass in the Glass House, outrebounding UTS 53-29 on the night, scoring 20 points off of 21 offensive boards. Their ten steals helped convert 20 Firehawk turnovers into 22 points.

"Last year, about January, I met with Chris (Massaro), and I didn't know how much longer I wanted to coach, to be honest with you," Head Coach Rick Insell said. "And then this bunch comes in, and it's like the Good Lord sent me a gift. These freshmen are unbelievable. I enjoy every day walking up that ramp now, because they're going to give Middle Tennessee State everything they've got.

"Most (freshmen) come in and go looking for the stat sheet. They don't. They're looking to get better. They're looking to do what they can to become a better basketball team."

Insell's freshman class combined for 65 points on Thursday, led by Jalynn Gregory's 32. The Macon County grad continued to impress early in her Lady Raider career, adding in eight rebounds, five steals and three assists to her team-high in points.

"She defends. She rebounds. She shoots!" Insell said of Gregory, who started both of the Lady Raiders' exhibitions. "I mean, who wouldn't trust her?"

The freshman guard shot 6-for-11 from beyond the arc, one of three freshmen to hit multiple triples and score in double digits on the night (Skye Payne, Courtney Blakely). The Lafayette, Tenn. native scored 48 points in the Lady Raiders' two exhibitions, leading the team in scoring both nights.

"During the summer, many people don't know, but I was really struggling to transition into college basketball, because it was such a fast-paced game," Gregory said. "But once official practice started, I felt like I mixed in and finally understood what they were asking."

Courtney Whitson led the Lady Raiders in rebounding, hauling in 13 boards on the night. Her 12 rebounds in the first half outrebounded UT Southern by herself, as the Firehawks only recorded 11 boards in the first 20 minutes.

The Lady Raiders set the tone early in the game holding the Firehawks to just 35.7 percent shooting from the floor in the first quarter, with MT leading at the quarter break 20-13. Middle Tennessee continued to pull away in the second quarter, dominating UT Southern on the glass 33-11 at halftime to power their way to a 42-25 lead. The Lady Raiders held the Firehawks to just 1-for-11 from beyond the arc and 8-for-27 from the field in the first half.

The pace would keep up in the third quarter, once again out scoring UTS by ten points in the frame 23-13 for a 65-38 lead. The Firehawks were limited to just 12 shots in the third quarter, as Insell said his team locked things down to go on a 12-2 run to close out the final four minutes of the third quarter.

The floodgates would open in the final frame, as MT doubled their 3-point output in one quarter, draining eight threes as a team to pull away, doubling UTS 28-14 in the fourth quarter.

Middle Tennessee averaged 98 points between their two exhibition games, the program's highest mark in the preseason in seven years. Giving the team plenty of momentum heading into their home opener on Tuesday against East Carolina.

"I'm really excited about this team," Whitson said. "Our chemistry is something I haven't seen in a long time. We're young, Coach Matt (Insell) talked about how we're going to have good days and bad days. Sometimes that's frustrating, but it's part of the process. I think we've just got to keep our heads on straight and look to our goals."