Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, February 24
Huntington, WV
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
at
Marshall
Photo by: Nathan Wallach/Athletic Communications
Lady Raiders Ready for Two Road Matchups
2/23/2022 11:16:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HUNTINGTON, W.VA – Middle Tennessee will travel on one last regular season road trip this weekend when it goes to Marshall Feb. 24 and Western Kentucky Feb. 26.
Thursday's game at Marshall is set to tip at 5 p.m.
Saturday at Western Kentucky is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Blue Raiders (19-5, 11-3 C-USA) have won three straight and eight of their past nine. MT sits in second place in a very competitive top half of the Conference USA eastern division. Marshall (13-11, 8-7 C-USA), meanwhile, is in fifth and WKU (17-9, 10-5 C-USA) is fourth.
Last time out - Feb. 19 vs. FAU - W, 72-49) RECAP
Middle Tennessee women's basketball scored early and often, cruising to their 19th win of the season behind a barrage of 3-pointers in a 72-49 win over FAU at the Murphy Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Raiders shot 11-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half alone, hitting 13 total 3-pointers in a game they easily controlled after a first quarter where they doubled their opponent's first quarter score 28-14 in the opening 10 minutes.
Alexis Whittington led all scorers with 17 points, drilling a season-high five 3-pointers while adding seven rebounds and three steals to the Lady Raiders' efforts.
Kseniya Malashka once again was huge off the bench for Middle Tennessee, scoring 16 points while hauling in six boards.
Courtney Whitson rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 points, along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
Putting Middle Tennessee on the map
How good has the Blue Raider defense been? The following is where Middle Tennessee ranks nationally in several categories.
● Fifth in the nation in 3-point percentage defense (24.6 percent).
● Twentieth in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 54.8 points per game.
Offensively, MT is eighth in 3-point field goals per game (9.3) and 18th in total 3-point field goals made (223). Whitson plays 38.3 minutes a game, which is the third-best in the country. Saar is tied for 41st in 3-point field goals made (61).
Blue Raider notes
● Middle Tennessee has made 18 consecutive postseason appearances.
● MT is 116-34 vs. C-USA members since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season.
● This season's roster includes five international players from five different countries.
● Anastasiia Boldyreva earned Conference USA Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Feb. 14. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 15 points, 5.5 rebounds and two blocks against ODU and Charlotte.
● Kseniya Malashka was named Conference USA Player of the Week for the second time this season on Jan. 31. Malashka averaged 21.5 points, five rebounds and two steals in the two games, while shooting a sizzling 64 percent (14-of-22) from the field, including 4-of-7 (57 percent) from 3-point range.
● Jalynn Gregory has been named Conference USA Freshman of the Week twice. The Lafayette, Tenn. native is putting up 10.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
● MT's bench has been strong this season with the Lady Raider bench averaging 17.7 ppg., which is almost three times its average last season.
About Marshall
When the Lady Raiders last saw Marshall, the Thundering Herd were 11-5 overall and 6-1 in conference play. Since the Jan. 27 trip to the Glass House, Marshall has lost five of its last seven, including a four-game losing streak. Most recently, Marshall fell 47-65 at Charlotte Feb. 19.
Marshall outscores its opponents 63.5 to 59.3 and shoots 37 percent from the floor as a team. Savannah Wheeler averages just under 20 points over two assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Wheeler scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds against the Lady Raiders earlier in the season.
Kennedi Colclough averages 12.1 points per game and has 11 total blocks while Aalyah Dunham leads the team in steals with 48.
All-time series
● Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series, 11-2 and is 5-0 at the Cam Henderson Center.
Previewing WKU
Western Kentucky is 3-3 since its Jan. 29 matchup with Middle Tennessee after winning nine of 10 prior to its trip to Murfreesboro.
MT will face another top scorer in the conference in Meral Abdelgawad, who scores 19.7 points per game. Abdelgawad also makes an impact on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 2.4 steals per game.
The Hilltoppers' balance shows as they lead the conference in scoring with 70.9 points per game and steals (11/game)
All-time series
● MT leads the all-time series 38-31 with wins in the last four meetings.
Options to follow the games
● Both games will air on ESPN+. Listening options include WGNS 1450 AM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM or GoBlueRaiders.com/Watch.
● Fans can also follow along on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Thursday's game at Marshall is set to tip at 5 p.m.
Saturday at Western Kentucky is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Blue Raiders (19-5, 11-3 C-USA) have won three straight and eight of their past nine. MT sits in second place in a very competitive top half of the Conference USA eastern division. Marshall (13-11, 8-7 C-USA), meanwhile, is in fifth and WKU (17-9, 10-5 C-USA) is fourth.
Last time out - Feb. 19 vs. FAU - W, 72-49) RECAP
Middle Tennessee women's basketball scored early and often, cruising to their 19th win of the season behind a barrage of 3-pointers in a 72-49 win over FAU at the Murphy Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Raiders shot 11-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half alone, hitting 13 total 3-pointers in a game they easily controlled after a first quarter where they doubled their opponent's first quarter score 28-14 in the opening 10 minutes.
Alexis Whittington led all scorers with 17 points, drilling a season-high five 3-pointers while adding seven rebounds and three steals to the Lady Raiders' efforts.
Kseniya Malashka once again was huge off the bench for Middle Tennessee, scoring 16 points while hauling in six boards.
Courtney Whitson rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 points, along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
Putting Middle Tennessee on the map
How good has the Blue Raider defense been? The following is where Middle Tennessee ranks nationally in several categories.
● Fifth in the nation in 3-point percentage defense (24.6 percent).
● Twentieth in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 54.8 points per game.
Offensively, MT is eighth in 3-point field goals per game (9.3) and 18th in total 3-point field goals made (223). Whitson plays 38.3 minutes a game, which is the third-best in the country. Saar is tied for 41st in 3-point field goals made (61).
Blue Raider notes
● Middle Tennessee has made 18 consecutive postseason appearances.
● MT is 116-34 vs. C-USA members since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season.
● This season's roster includes five international players from five different countries.
● Anastasiia Boldyreva earned Conference USA Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Feb. 14. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 15 points, 5.5 rebounds and two blocks against ODU and Charlotte.
● Kseniya Malashka was named Conference USA Player of the Week for the second time this season on Jan. 31. Malashka averaged 21.5 points, five rebounds and two steals in the two games, while shooting a sizzling 64 percent (14-of-22) from the field, including 4-of-7 (57 percent) from 3-point range.
● Jalynn Gregory has been named Conference USA Freshman of the Week twice. The Lafayette, Tenn. native is putting up 10.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
● MT's bench has been strong this season with the Lady Raider bench averaging 17.7 ppg., which is almost three times its average last season.
About Marshall
When the Lady Raiders last saw Marshall, the Thundering Herd were 11-5 overall and 6-1 in conference play. Since the Jan. 27 trip to the Glass House, Marshall has lost five of its last seven, including a four-game losing streak. Most recently, Marshall fell 47-65 at Charlotte Feb. 19.
Marshall outscores its opponents 63.5 to 59.3 and shoots 37 percent from the floor as a team. Savannah Wheeler averages just under 20 points over two assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Wheeler scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds against the Lady Raiders earlier in the season.
Kennedi Colclough averages 12.1 points per game and has 11 total blocks while Aalyah Dunham leads the team in steals with 48.
All-time series
● Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series, 11-2 and is 5-0 at the Cam Henderson Center.
Previewing WKU
Western Kentucky is 3-3 since its Jan. 29 matchup with Middle Tennessee after winning nine of 10 prior to its trip to Murfreesboro.
MT will face another top scorer in the conference in Meral Abdelgawad, who scores 19.7 points per game. Abdelgawad also makes an impact on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 2.4 steals per game.
The Hilltoppers' balance shows as they lead the conference in scoring with 70.9 points per game and steals (11/game)
All-time series
● MT leads the all-time series 38-31 with wins in the last four meetings.
Options to follow the games
● Both games will air on ESPN+. Listening options include WGNS 1450 AM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM or GoBlueRaiders.com/Watch.
● Fans can also follow along on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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