Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Wednesday, November 16
Murfreesboro, TN
6 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
-21,00 CUSA
80
vs
62
Belmont
1-2,0-0MVC
1
2
3
4
F
Belmont
7
13
21
21
62
Middle Tenn.
22
11
27
20
80
Team Stats
BEL
MTSU
FG%
.419
.431
3FG%
.360
.250
FT%
.739
.704
RB
29
41
TO
20
11
STL
3
10
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Matt Posey/MT Athletic Communications
Lady Raiders Bowl Over Bruins, 80-62
11/16/2022 9:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MTSU forces 17 first-half turnovers to cruise past Belmont
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee women's basketball defense showed up early and the offense showed up in the paint, with suffocating perimeter pressure and skill around the rim powering the Lady Raiders past Belmont, 80-62 at Wednesday night at the Murphy Center.
MTSU (2-1) forced 17 turnovers in the first half, helping them jump out to a 22-7 lead against Belmont (1-2) at the end of the first quarter. A second half with more fouls took each team to the free throw line at least 18 times in the final 20 minutes, helping power a higher scoring by more evenly matched second half. Still, the Bruins managed to take just 43 shots the entire game against the stifling Lady Raider defense, only managing 18 field goals on the night.
Kseniya Malashka led all scorers with 23 points while also just missing a double-double with 9 rebounds. The Belarusian international drew 13 of Belmont's 26 personal fouls, going the charity stripe 14 times on Wednesday, knocking down nine of those free throws. Savannah Wheeler also had success inside, scoring 22 points with a plethora of finishes at the rim.
Alexis Whittington and Courtney Whitson both put in a full 40 minutes on the court, with Whittington shutting down Belmont's star guard, 2021-22 Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Year Destinee Wells, the entire night. Whitson scored 10 points while adding seven rebounds to the Lady Raiders' efforts.
By the Numbers
46: Points in the paint for MTSU, who both slashed with their guards and attacked with their forwards to get to the rim all night. The Lady Raiders finished the night shooting 51 percent from inside the three-point line.
0: Shots at halftime for Belmont guard Destinee Wells, who entered Wednesday's contest averaging 20 points a game. With Alexis Whittington as her primary defender, Wells finished the game with just five points on three shots.
21-4: The points off turnovers advantage for MTSU. The Lady Raiders forced the Bruins into 17 first-half turnovers, helping pace the team's hot start.
Blue Raider Notes
• Jalynn Gregory set a new career high in rebounds (8), tied a career high in steals (4) and scored in double figures for the third time in three games to start the season.
• Savannah Wheeler scored a season-best 22 points–her 22nd career 20-plus-point game. Wheeler also set a personal-best in blocks with 3.
• MTSU has won 15 straight regular season home games.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"I'll have to compliment my staff. Matt (Insell) had the scout, Tom Hodges worked hard behind the scene on analytics. Kim (Brewton) and Nina (Davis) in on the scout helping Matt, the staff is responsible for today. We had Belmont, defensively I thought (MTSU) defended them about as well as they could defend them."
"Once we got the lead, we were kind of playing on house money, but still. I thought we didn't execute in the second half as well as I'd like, but we did a pretty good job the first half."
Player's Perspective – Forward Kseniya Malashka
"Just executing our offense was the biggest key. My teammates helped me to get open. If we didn't get it from the first ball screen, then we try to get it from the second one, and that's how we found me on the block."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will travel to the Silver State over the week of Thanksgiving for the Las Vegas Thanksgiving Invitational. The Lady Raiders first game of the tournament will be against Texas Tech on Friday, November 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
Follow the Lady Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), Twitter (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).
MTSU (2-1) forced 17 turnovers in the first half, helping them jump out to a 22-7 lead against Belmont (1-2) at the end of the first quarter. A second half with more fouls took each team to the free throw line at least 18 times in the final 20 minutes, helping power a higher scoring by more evenly matched second half. Still, the Bruins managed to take just 43 shots the entire game against the stifling Lady Raider defense, only managing 18 field goals on the night.
Kseniya Malashka led all scorers with 23 points while also just missing a double-double with 9 rebounds. The Belarusian international drew 13 of Belmont's 26 personal fouls, going the charity stripe 14 times on Wednesday, knocking down nine of those free throws. Savannah Wheeler also had success inside, scoring 22 points with a plethora of finishes at the rim.
Alexis Whittington and Courtney Whitson both put in a full 40 minutes on the court, with Whittington shutting down Belmont's star guard, 2021-22 Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Year Destinee Wells, the entire night. Whitson scored 10 points while adding seven rebounds to the Lady Raiders' efforts.
By the Numbers
46: Points in the paint for MTSU, who both slashed with their guards and attacked with their forwards to get to the rim all night. The Lady Raiders finished the night shooting 51 percent from inside the three-point line.
0: Shots at halftime for Belmont guard Destinee Wells, who entered Wednesday's contest averaging 20 points a game. With Alexis Whittington as her primary defender, Wells finished the game with just five points on three shots.
21-4: The points off turnovers advantage for MTSU. The Lady Raiders forced the Bruins into 17 first-half turnovers, helping pace the team's hot start.
Blue Raider Notes
• Jalynn Gregory set a new career high in rebounds (8), tied a career high in steals (4) and scored in double figures for the third time in three games to start the season.
• Savannah Wheeler scored a season-best 22 points–her 22nd career 20-plus-point game. Wheeler also set a personal-best in blocks with 3.
• MTSU has won 15 straight regular season home games.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"I'll have to compliment my staff. Matt (Insell) had the scout, Tom Hodges worked hard behind the scene on analytics. Kim (Brewton) and Nina (Davis) in on the scout helping Matt, the staff is responsible for today. We had Belmont, defensively I thought (MTSU) defended them about as well as they could defend them."
"Once we got the lead, we were kind of playing on house money, but still. I thought we didn't execute in the second half as well as I'd like, but we did a pretty good job the first half."
Player's Perspective – Forward Kseniya Malashka
"Just executing our offense was the biggest key. My teammates helped me to get open. If we didn't get it from the first ball screen, then we try to get it from the second one, and that's how we found me on the block."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will travel to the Silver State over the week of Thanksgiving for the Las Vegas Thanksgiving Invitational. The Lady Raiders first game of the tournament will be against Texas Tech on Friday, November 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
Follow the Lady Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), Twitter (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).
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