Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, January 27
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-144,62 CUSA
80
vs
41
Marshall
-116,62 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Marshall
11
15
10
5
41
Middle Tenn.
18
21
21
20
80
Team Stats
Marsh
MTSU
FG%
.255
.467
3FG%
.211
.429
FT%
.929
.706
RB
33
37
TO
19
8
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications
Lady Raiders dominate Thundering Herd, 80-41
1/27/2022 8:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Early 19-0 run sets the tone for MT
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee women's basketball team dominated all facets of the game against Marshall, blowing out the Thundering Herd 80-41 on Thursday night in the Murphy Center.
Riding a balanced scoring effort from both the inside and outside, Middle Tennessee (14-4, 6-2 C-USA) held Marshall (11-6, 6-2 C-USA) to just 25.5 percent shooting from the field. A 19-0 run to close out the first quarter and open the second, accented by a buzzer-beating three from Dor Saar, powered Blue Raiders in a game they controlled right from the opening tip.
"I'm just really proud of our basketball team," head coach Rick Insell, who picked up his 200th win in the Glass House with the victory, said. "They were making great passes inside out and knocking down shots. When we do that, we can play with anybody."
Perhaps no two players better encapsulated the Lady Raiders' dominance than Anastasiia Boldyreva and Ksenia Malashka, who helped control the paint both offensively and defensively for MT while also contributing offense from beyond the arc. Boldyreva set her career-high in points for the third straight game with 17, as each post player drilled a three-pointer on the night.
"You've got to remember she's 18 years old," Insell said of the Russian international Boldyreva. "We called a play tonight when she was in there by herself, I didn't even know that she knew it when we called it. I yelled at her and she said 'I know what I'm doing.' And she executed it to the T."
Malashka led all scorers with 22 points, while also leading the Lady Raiders with seven rebounds, helping set the tone defensively as well with dynamic post and perimeter defense.
"The more we go further in the season, the better we play," Malashka said. "We play more united; we play more team basketball. We're better than we were a month ago."
MT forced every single player on Marshall's team to finish with a negative plus/minus, as 19 Thundering Herd turnovers denied Marshall any momentum down the stretch. Nine of those turnovers came on MT steals, led by three from Alexis Whittington.
"Everything starts with defense," Boldyreva said. "If we have a good defense, we'll have a good offense."
The 39-point margin of victory was the Lady Raiders' largest of the season, and their 12 made 3-pointers marked the seventh time this season MT has made at least 10 triples in a game.
Middle Tennessee took control of the game, leading 18-11 at the end of the first quarter after Saar beat the buzzer on a three-pointer beyond the Murfreesboro Medical Center Logo on the floor of the Murphy Center. MT turned Marshall over five times in the quarter, while also scoring 10 points in the paint. The Thundering Herd failed to score in the paint entirely during the first ten minutes.
The Lady Raiders extended their lead heading into the locker room at the half, riding seven points in the frame from Anastasiia Boldyreva to a 39-26 lead. MT went on as long as a 19-0 run between the first and second quarter and was 7-for-14 beyond the arc in the game's opening 20 minutes, led by Alexis Whittington's pair of triples.
MT's dominance continued well into the second half, building a 60-36 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Thundering Herd were forced into increasingly difficult long-range shots as a result of the deficit, to no avail against the Lady Raiders' defense, as Marshall managed a shooting percentage of just 23.1 percent in the third quarter.
The Lady Raiders closed things out in dominant fashion, only allowing Marshall five points in the final quarter while scoring 20 of their own to make a statement in the Glass House. MT shot 50 percent from the floor in the final 10 minutes (6-12) while holding the Herd to just one field goal (1-14).
Middle Tennessee will gear up for a huge rivalry game on Saturday at the Murphy Center, when Western Kentucky visits Murfreesboro. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. central, with TV coverage provided by ESPN+.
Riding a balanced scoring effort from both the inside and outside, Middle Tennessee (14-4, 6-2 C-USA) held Marshall (11-6, 6-2 C-USA) to just 25.5 percent shooting from the field. A 19-0 run to close out the first quarter and open the second, accented by a buzzer-beating three from Dor Saar, powered Blue Raiders in a game they controlled right from the opening tip.
"I'm just really proud of our basketball team," head coach Rick Insell, who picked up his 200th win in the Glass House with the victory, said. "They were making great passes inside out and knocking down shots. When we do that, we can play with anybody."
Perhaps no two players better encapsulated the Lady Raiders' dominance than Anastasiia Boldyreva and Ksenia Malashka, who helped control the paint both offensively and defensively for MT while also contributing offense from beyond the arc. Boldyreva set her career-high in points for the third straight game with 17, as each post player drilled a three-pointer on the night.
"You've got to remember she's 18 years old," Insell said of the Russian international Boldyreva. "We called a play tonight when she was in there by herself, I didn't even know that she knew it when we called it. I yelled at her and she said 'I know what I'm doing.' And she executed it to the T."
Malashka led all scorers with 22 points, while also leading the Lady Raiders with seven rebounds, helping set the tone defensively as well with dynamic post and perimeter defense.
"The more we go further in the season, the better we play," Malashka said. "We play more united; we play more team basketball. We're better than we were a month ago."
MT forced every single player on Marshall's team to finish with a negative plus/minus, as 19 Thundering Herd turnovers denied Marshall any momentum down the stretch. Nine of those turnovers came on MT steals, led by three from Alexis Whittington.
"Everything starts with defense," Boldyreva said. "If we have a good defense, we'll have a good offense."
The 39-point margin of victory was the Lady Raiders' largest of the season, and their 12 made 3-pointers marked the seventh time this season MT has made at least 10 triples in a game.
Middle Tennessee took control of the game, leading 18-11 at the end of the first quarter after Saar beat the buzzer on a three-pointer beyond the Murfreesboro Medical Center Logo on the floor of the Murphy Center. MT turned Marshall over five times in the quarter, while also scoring 10 points in the paint. The Thundering Herd failed to score in the paint entirely during the first ten minutes.
The Lady Raiders extended their lead heading into the locker room at the half, riding seven points in the frame from Anastasiia Boldyreva to a 39-26 lead. MT went on as long as a 19-0 run between the first and second quarter and was 7-for-14 beyond the arc in the game's opening 20 minutes, led by Alexis Whittington's pair of triples.
MT's dominance continued well into the second half, building a 60-36 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Thundering Herd were forced into increasingly difficult long-range shots as a result of the deficit, to no avail against the Lady Raiders' defense, as Marshall managed a shooting percentage of just 23.1 percent in the third quarter.
The Lady Raiders closed things out in dominant fashion, only allowing Marshall five points in the final quarter while scoring 20 of their own to make a statement in the Glass House. MT shot 50 percent from the floor in the final 10 minutes (6-12) while holding the Herd to just one field goal (1-14).
Middle Tennessee will gear up for a huge rivalry game on Saturday at the Murphy Center, when Western Kentucky visits Murfreesboro. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. central, with TV coverage provided by ESPN+.
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