No. 18/15 Louisville Next For Lady Raiders

Sunday, December 4

Murfreesboro, TN

4 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Louisville

12/3/2022 11:12:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.— In what has been a challenging non-conference slate, Middle Tennessee women's basketball faces another test Sunday when it hosts No. 18/15 Louisville at the Murphy Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Tickets are available at goblueraiders.com/tickets. For those unable to attend, the game will be streamed on ESPN+ and air on the Blue Raider Network.

LAST TIME OUT

The Middle Tennessee women's basketball team dominated defensively, twice holding Tennessee Tech under 10 points in a quarter on Thursday morning, as the Lady Raiders soared past the Golden Eagles 83-45 at the Murphy Center.

It was the largest win ever for MTSU against Tennessee Tech in 84 games in the series against the former OVC rival.

MTSU (4-2) was dominant in the paint, outscoring Tennessee Tech (3-3) 38 to 14 inside to set the tone offensively in the route. The Lady Raiders used their superior size to their advantage, outrebounding the Golden Eagles 38 to 23 in the Glass House, scoring nine second chance points on the offensive glass. Turnovers were also key, as MTSU took advantage of 17 TTU turnovers (11 on MTSU steals) to score 24 points off of turnovers.

After trailing by one at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Raiders took a 39-27 lead into the locker room at halftime, buoyed by a second quarter where MTSU short 9-for-11 from the field and held the Golden Eagles to just eight points in the frame. Middle Tennessee was a perfect 15-for-15 from the foul line in the game's first 20 minutes.

Five Lady Raiders finished the game with at least 10 points, led by Kseniya Malashka, who was dominant at forward, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Savannah Wheeler was close behind with 16 points, 10 of her points come at the charity stripe.

ON THE COURT

Stat Leaders:
Points - Savannah Wheeler (17.0 PPG)
Rebounds - Courtney Whitson (8.3 RPG)
Assists - Savannah Wheeler (3.7 APG)
Steals - Jalynn Gregory (2.3 SPG)

LADY RAIDER NOTES

Middle Tennessee leads all of Conference USA and ranks 39th in the nation with a 21.2 scoring margin. In their four wins, the Lady Raiders are averaging 31.7 point differential, including a 52-point stomping of Southern Illinois Nov. 12. The win margin in Carbondale was tied for the eighth largest in Lady Raider history.
Ranked 18th in this week's AP Poll, Louisville is the 28th ranked team to come to the Murphy Center. The Blue Raiders have won two of those games in the Insell era. The first coming vs. LSU , Dec. 28, 2007 as the Lady Raiders defeated the Tigers 67-56. Kentucky visited the Murphy Center exactly four years later, in which MTSU defeated the Wildcats 70- 58.
Sunday marks the 100th game the Lady Raiders have played against a ranked opponent in program history.
The Lady Raiders are 210-43 at the Murphy Center under head coach Rick Insell.
Guard Courtney Blakely scored 11 points, dished a career-high five assists and recorded four steals in her second career start Thursday vs. Tennessee Tech. Blakely has scored in double figures in the last two games.
Middle Tennessee made its first 26 free throws Thursday vs. Tennessee Tech. Savannah Wheeler has been dominant at the line this season as the junior guard has made her last 20 free throws. As a team, Middle Tennessee is first in Conference USA in free throw percentage, shooting a 78.6% clip.

LOOKING AT LOUISVILLE

Sunday's matchup will be a battle between two successful active coaches in Rick Insell and Jeff Walz. Walz has led the Cardinals to four Final Four appearances, including last season, in his 15 seasons. He led Louisville to a 29-5 record in 2021-22 and went 16-2 in the ACC.
Louisville was the preseason pick to win the ACC and started the season ranked seventh in the AP poll.
The Cardinals have dropped three of its past five games in its challenging non-conference schedule, most recently falling to No. 4/5 Ohio State at home, 77-96.
Hailey Van Lith is averaging 21.0 points per game, which ranks second in the ACC and 15th nationally.
Louisville ranks first among ACC teams in turnovers forced per game with 21.12 through eight games.
The Cardinals hold an advantage vs. opponents in nearly every category except when it comes to shots beyond the arc. Teams are shooting 37% vs. Louisville from 3-point range and make six 3s per game.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

The first 500 fans at Sunday's game will receive a Murphy Center court rally towel. The first 100 students will receive free chicken wings.