Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Women’s Basketball sweeps the weekend to continue hot start
12/6/2021 6:00:00 PM | Football, General, Softball, Women's Basketball, BRAA
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Coach Rick Insell's women's basketball program continued its strong start to the season over the weekend, securing wins over Mercer and Lipscomb to improve their record to 7-1, with only three games to go until conference play begins.
The Lady Raiders eased to a win over the reigning SoCon champs at home on Friday, beating the Bears 59-49 in the Murphy Center behind 22 points off the bench from Kseniya Malashka. Along with Courtney Blakely's five points, MT outscored Mercer 27-11 with their reserves.
"She's got to learn to play inside the offense," Insell said of Malashka's performance. "I told her 'When you play inside our offense, your average is going to go from like 11 to 12 a game to 24 to 25 a game.' You saw it today. She didn't play all the way in it, but she played enough that she got 22 points."
On the road on Sunday, the Lady Raiders dominated the Bison in their own gym, suffocating Lipscomb into 26 turnovers, 16 off of MT steals, while cruising to a 84-59 victory. Jalynn Gregory and Courtney Whitson tied for the lead for all scorers with 15 points each in a game in which every Lady Raider scored.
Middle Tennessee entered the game in Nashville ranked 22nd in the country in 3-pt field goals per game and drilled 16 threes, a season-best mark as a team.
The win over Lipscomb also marked the program's 950th win, making Middle Tennessee one of just 28 Division I women's basketball programs to eclipse that milestone.
"There have been a lot of great players and coaches associated with Lady Raider basketball through the years," Insell said. "This program has sustained success through four decades. There are 351 Division I basketball teams so to be one of 28 with 950 or more wins puts you in some elite company."
For her efforts over the weekend, Jalynn Gregory earned Freshman of the Week honors from Conference USA after averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists across the team's two games. It's the first conference award for the Lady Raiders in the 2021-22 season.
Get your Bahamas Bowl Tickets now!
As your Blue Raiders prepare to head to the Bahamas to battle Toledo in the 2021 Bahamas Bowl, fans have options to support their team with a purchase of bowl game tickets.
Your purchase of bowl game tickets showcases the passion and pride of the Blue Raider fan base and assists in promoting the program for future bowl invitations. As we certainly hope to see many of you in the Bahamas cheering on your Blue Raiders in person, fans that can't attend are still encouraged to purchase tickets.
Blue Raider football fans can now purchase their 2021 Bahamas Bowl tickets online by clicking here.
When purchasing online, fans have two options to choose from; Attending the Game/Souvenir ticket or Donate My Ticket. The "Attending the Game/Souvenir ticket option" states that you would like to receive a physical ticket, either for attendance or for a souvenir.
The "Donate My Ticket" option will allow a ticket to be provided to a group in the Bahamas to attend and cheer on the Blue Raiders in your place.
And don't forget that for every ticket purchased online, you will receive a Bahamas Bowl Bound t-shirt to wear on game day - either in the Bahamas or wherever you will be cheering on your Blue Raiders!
Softball opens up hitting facility for Christmas Toys for Kids Days
On Friday and Saturday, the Blue Raider Softball program partnered with Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) for the third year in a row to help spread holiday cheer and provide toys for families in need during the holiday season.
Families were able to swing by the Blue Raider softball field, as Middle Tennessee passed out monster trucks, action figures, Barbie dolls, board games and all manner of toys to spread some holiday cheer in the Murfreesboro community.
"We're fortunate that one of our catchers, Hailey Bosley's, grandfather is one of the head guys at D.A.R.E International in California and all over the country," head coach Jeff Breeden said. "He approached us three years ago about how D.A.R.E helps give back to the community each year by giving out toys. We're fortunate that he has been able to schedule it out, provide us with the toys, and allow us to help the Murfreesboro and Rutherford County communities, as well as the surrounding areas each year.
"This year alone we are going to give out 7,000 toys, so hopefully we can put a little cheer in some people's Christmas. It's humbling for our program to see that there are some out there that are in need, and hopefully we can fulfill that need and create a few smiles along the way."
Spring schedules continue their release!
Prep for the spring season continues on in the Murphy Center, as all student athletes all get ready for exams throughout the final days of the fall semester. Middle Tennessee men's golf, women's golf and men's tennis all released their spring competition schedules over the past week. Here's a quick look at each, courtesy our social media teams.
The Lady Raiders eased to a win over the reigning SoCon champs at home on Friday, beating the Bears 59-49 in the Murphy Center behind 22 points off the bench from Kseniya Malashka. Along with Courtney Blakely's five points, MT outscored Mercer 27-11 with their reserves.
"She's got to learn to play inside the offense," Insell said of Malashka's performance. "I told her 'When you play inside our offense, your average is going to go from like 11 to 12 a game to 24 to 25 a game.' You saw it today. She didn't play all the way in it, but she played enough that she got 22 points."
On the road on Sunday, the Lady Raiders dominated the Bison in their own gym, suffocating Lipscomb into 26 turnovers, 16 off of MT steals, while cruising to a 84-59 victory. Jalynn Gregory and Courtney Whitson tied for the lead for all scorers with 15 points each in a game in which every Lady Raider scored.
Middle Tennessee entered the game in Nashville ranked 22nd in the country in 3-pt field goals per game and drilled 16 threes, a season-best mark as a team.
The win over Lipscomb also marked the program's 950th win, making Middle Tennessee one of just 28 Division I women's basketball programs to eclipse that milestone.
"There have been a lot of great players and coaches associated with Lady Raider basketball through the years," Insell said. "This program has sustained success through four decades. There are 351 Division I basketball teams so to be one of 28 with 950 or more wins puts you in some elite company."
For her efforts over the weekend, Jalynn Gregory earned Freshman of the Week honors from Conference USA after averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists across the team's two games. It's the first conference award for the Lady Raiders in the 2021-22 season.
Congrats to @GregoryJalynn on being named @ConferenceUSA Freshman of the Week!
— MT Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) December 6, 2021
📰 https://t.co/dj7BcB2LJC pic.twitter.com/KdjhJDXptV
Get your Bahamas Bowl Tickets now!
As your Blue Raiders prepare to head to the Bahamas to battle Toledo in the 2021 Bahamas Bowl, fans have options to support their team with a purchase of bowl game tickets.
Your purchase of bowl game tickets showcases the passion and pride of the Blue Raider fan base and assists in promoting the program for future bowl invitations. As we certainly hope to see many of you in the Bahamas cheering on your Blue Raiders in person, fans that can't attend are still encouraged to purchase tickets.
Blue Raider football fans can now purchase their 2021 Bahamas Bowl tickets online by clicking here.
When purchasing online, fans have two options to choose from; Attending the Game/Souvenir ticket or Donate My Ticket. The "Attending the Game/Souvenir ticket option" states that you would like to receive a physical ticket, either for attendance or for a souvenir.
The "Donate My Ticket" option will allow a ticket to be provided to a group in the Bahamas to attend and cheer on the Blue Raiders in your place.
And don't forget that for every ticket purchased online, you will receive a Bahamas Bowl Bound t-shirt to wear on game day - either in the Bahamas or wherever you will be cheering on your Blue Raiders!
Softball opens up hitting facility for Christmas Toys for Kids Days
On Friday and Saturday, the Blue Raider Softball program partnered with Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) for the third year in a row to help spread holiday cheer and provide toys for families in need during the holiday season.
Families were able to swing by the Blue Raider softball field, as Middle Tennessee passed out monster trucks, action figures, Barbie dolls, board games and all manner of toys to spread some holiday cheer in the Murfreesboro community.
Doing our part to make the holidays brighter for families in the Murfreesboro and Rutherford County areas.
— MT Softball (@MT_Softball) December 6, 2021
Thank you to D.A.R.E and everyone who came out this weekend and we can't wait to have you all join us at Blue Raider Softball Field this spring!#BlueRaiders | ⚡️⬆️ pic.twitter.com/PVR1V17ctY
"We're fortunate that one of our catchers, Hailey Bosley's, grandfather is one of the head guys at D.A.R.E International in California and all over the country," head coach Jeff Breeden said. "He approached us three years ago about how D.A.R.E helps give back to the community each year by giving out toys. We're fortunate that he has been able to schedule it out, provide us with the toys, and allow us to help the Murfreesboro and Rutherford County communities, as well as the surrounding areas each year.
"This year alone we are going to give out 7,000 toys, so hopefully we can put a little cheer in some people's Christmas. It's humbling for our program to see that there are some out there that are in need, and hopefully we can fulfill that need and create a few smiles along the way."
That's a wrap for day one of our 2021 Christmas Toys for Kids Days!
— MT Softball (@MT_Softball) December 4, 2021
Make sure to join us tomorrow morning from 9 AM to 1 PM at Blue Raider Softball Field to help finish your holiday shopping! See you then!#BlueRaiders | ⚡️⬆️ pic.twitter.com/ynf3FFPx9l
Day 2 ✅
— MT Softball (@MT_Softball) December 4, 2021
That's it for this year's Christmas Toys for Kids Days! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and happy holidays! We look forward to seeing everyone at Blue Raider Softball Field this spring!#BlueRaiders | ⚡️⬆️ pic.twitter.com/5mt2An9ms3
Spring schedules continue their release!
Prep for the spring season continues on in the Murphy Center, as all student athletes all get ready for exams throughout the final days of the fall semester. Middle Tennessee men's golf, women's golf and men's tennis all released their spring competition schedules over the past week. Here's a quick look at each, courtesy our social media teams.
Our spring schedule is here! Check out where the Blue Raiders will be playing this spring ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XtuknGW3R2
— MT Men's Golf (@MT_MGolf) November 30, 2021
Check out our schedule for the spring! #BlueRaiders | #MT pic.twitter.com/n6XREJ2zrm
— MT Women's Golf (@MT_WGolf) December 5, 2021
Our 2022 schedule has been announced 👀
— MT Men's Tennis (@MT_MensTennis) December 3, 2021
Read more 📄: https://t.co/4VEyJWmYg5#BlueRaiders | #KATN | #SUPERBlue pic.twitter.com/lHHle3QYiz
Players Mentioned
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