Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, March 12
Frisco, Texas
8:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
-167,124 CUSA
74
vs
58
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UTEP
-178,135 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
UTEP
15
12
15
16
58
Middle Tennessee
21
21
19
13
74
Photo by: Nathan Wallach/Athletic Communications
Lady Raiders cruise into C-USA Championship game
3/12/2021 11:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MT earns 74-58 semifinal win vs. UTEP
FRISCO, Texas – Middle Tennessee is back in the Conference USA Championship game for the fifth time in seven years after disposing of UTEP, 74-58, in Friday's semifinal.
The Lady Raiders (16-7) used a 13-0 run to take a 13-4 lead early in Friday's game and never looked back as they steamrolled their way into the title game against Rice Saturday at 5 p.m. The 2021 championship game will be a rematch of the 2019 title bout and pits the regular season champs from the East and West divisions. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
It marks the 24th conference tournament title game for Middle Tennessee and the 11th under head coach Rick Insell. The Lady Raiders have won 15 of those, including 11 with Insell at the helm.
"I'm just proud of these young ladies," Insell said. "They have been through a lot in this last year, but they have persevered and battled adversity. We have a very focused and committed group of young ladies. They are playing for one another and a common goal. I think it shows on the court. We are excited to be back in position to win a championship."
Middle Tennessee continued to shoot the ball well and spread the wealth in the C-USA Championships as they placed four players in double figures scoring and had 19 assists on 27 field goals. The 19 assists were the second highest of the season for the Lady Raiders.
Player of the Year Anastasia Hayes paced the attack with a game-high 23 points on the strength of 11 field goals to go with seven assists. Alexis Whittington continued her strong play down the stretch with a season-high 19 points. Whittington's stat stuffer performance also included five rebounds, three assists and a career-high four blocked shots.
Courtney Whitson added 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range and had a career-high four blocked shots to go with three steals. Aislynn Hayes tallied 11 points and was instrumental in the early Lady Raider run when she connected on three first-quarter 3-pointers. Deja Cage added five points, five rebounds and three assists.
Middle Tennessee shot 46 percent from the field and connected on 10 3-pointers. The Lady Raiders raced out to a 42-27 halftime lead and maintained the double-figure lead the majority of the second half on their way to victory.
The Lady Raiders (16-7) used a 13-0 run to take a 13-4 lead early in Friday's game and never looked back as they steamrolled their way into the title game against Rice Saturday at 5 p.m. The 2021 championship game will be a rematch of the 2019 title bout and pits the regular season champs from the East and West divisions. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
It marks the 24th conference tournament title game for Middle Tennessee and the 11th under head coach Rick Insell. The Lady Raiders have won 15 of those, including 11 with Insell at the helm.
"I'm just proud of these young ladies," Insell said. "They have been through a lot in this last year, but they have persevered and battled adversity. We have a very focused and committed group of young ladies. They are playing for one another and a common goal. I think it shows on the court. We are excited to be back in position to win a championship."
Middle Tennessee continued to shoot the ball well and spread the wealth in the C-USA Championships as they placed four players in double figures scoring and had 19 assists on 27 field goals. The 19 assists were the second highest of the season for the Lady Raiders.
Player of the Year Anastasia Hayes paced the attack with a game-high 23 points on the strength of 11 field goals to go with seven assists. Alexis Whittington continued her strong play down the stretch with a season-high 19 points. Whittington's stat stuffer performance also included five rebounds, three assists and a career-high four blocked shots.
Courtney Whitson added 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range and had a career-high four blocked shots to go with three steals. Aislynn Hayes tallied 11 points and was instrumental in the early Lady Raider run when she connected on three first-quarter 3-pointers. Deja Cage added five points, five rebounds and three assists.
Middle Tennessee shot 46 percent from the field and connected on 10 3-pointers. The Lady Raiders raced out to a 42-27 halftime lead and maintained the double-figure lead the majority of the second half on their way to victory.
Team Stats
UTEP
MT
FG%
.410
.458
3FG%
.200
.385
FT%
.333
.833
RB
41
31
TO
16
8
STL
0
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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