Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 9
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
7:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
East Carolina
Lady Raiders host East Carolina to open season
11/8/2021 1:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee women's basketball begins its pursuit to defend its Conference USA Tournament Championship when it faces East Carolina Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside the Murphy Center.
Lady Raider head coach Rick Insell enters his 17th season leading the program. This year's team returns six letterwinners from last season and features seven new faces, including five freshmen and two transfers.
Blue Raider notes
- Middle Tennessee has made 18 consecutive postseason appearances.
- This season's roster includes six international players from five different countries.
- The Lady Raiders are 30-16 all-time in home openers, including wins in nine of the last 14.
- Courtney Whitson has made 55 consecutive starts for Middle Tennessee. The Kingsport, Tenn. native is averaging 8.6 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per contest in her collegiate career.
Coming off an 8-14 season, including a 6-10 record in the American Athletic Conference, East Carolina returns seven players. Taniyah Thompson is the lone returnee who averaged in double figures last season (12.0).
Defensively, opponents scored 64.4 points per game against ECU a season ago. Tiara Chambers blocked 20 shots in 18 games for the Pirates in 2020-21.
The Pirates bring in four transfers from Power 5 schools, including Kansas, Virginia Tech and Clemson.
Kim McNeill enters her third season as the head coach of East Carolina, where she has an overall record of 17-35.
All-time series
Middle Tennessee enters Tuesday night's matchup 2-0 in the all-time series vs. East Carolina with both wins coming in Greenville.
Promotions
- Fans attending the home opener are encouraged to bring a toy for Marines Toys 4 Tots Drive.
- $2 Tuesday - $2 Hot dogs, drinks and popcorn at concession stands inside the Murphy Center.
- Unable to attend the home opener? Listen live on WGNS 1450 AM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM or GoBlueRaiders.com/Watch. A live stream of the game will be available on CUSA.tv.
Players Mentioned
F
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