Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 1
Murfreesboro, TN
6 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
114
vs
43
University of Tennessee Southern (Exh.)
Photo by: Maya Lewis/MT Athletic Communications
Lady Raiders snuff out Firebirds in final exhibition
11/1/2022 9:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MTSU passed 100 points with over eight minutes left in the game.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — In Middle Tennessee's final preseason tune-up, the Lady Raiders rallied behind a stifling press defense to roll over UT Southern, blowing out the Firebirds 114-43 on Tuesday night in an exhibition at the Murphy Center.
Forcing UTS into 26 total turnovers, the Lady Raiders scored 44 points off Firebird turnovers, 18 of those turnovers coming on MTSU steals. An aggressive offense, commonly featuring possessions of fewer than 10 seconds, was buoyed by strong shooting. In outscoring UTS 36-11 in the second quarter, MTSU made two-thirds of their field goals (10-for-15) and went the charity stripe 15 times, draining 13 of them.
Seven Lady Raiders scored at least 10 points, led by Savannah Wheeler's 20 points, while only one Firebird hit double figures in points scored. Wheeler also added seven assists on the night. Ta'Mia Scott led MTSU off the bench with 16 points, contributing to 43 points from the Lady Raider reserves.
By the Numbers
56.9 percent: MTSU's overall shooting percentage on Tuesday. The Lady Raiders shot over 50 percent in each of the first three quarters.
4-4, 3-3, 3-3: Alexis Whittington's first half stat line in the three shooting categories (field goals, three-pointers, free throws), good for 14 points. The graduate student guard finished the night with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
16 points, 10 rebounds: Ta'Mia Scott's two categories she used to get a double-double. The freshman guard led the Lady Raiders in rebounds on the night.
Lady Raider Notes
Courtney Blakely made her first appearance for the Lady Raiders this season after missing the team's first exhibition game due to injury.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"You don't play down to the teams that you're playing. You play your game. You don't play the scoreboard, you don't play the team, you play your game. I thought early one we played our game. We turned our offense, we got people open, we knocked down shots. We played pretty good defense. I thought our substitution pattern was good."
Player's Perspective: Junior forward Jada Grannum
"It's amazing, just to not be able to rely on a select few but to have a deep bench is meaningful for everybody. It's great for us, we're having fun seeing everybody doing great things."
Up Next
The Lady Raiders will start the 2022-23 regular season on the road next Monday, taking on Mercer in Macon, Ga. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, with coverage on the Blue Raider Radio Network.
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