Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Wednesday, March 2
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Charlotte
Lady Raiders Prep for Final Home Games of the Season
3/1/2022 12:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Lady Raiders are closing out the regular season with a pair of home games against Charlotte, Wednesday, March 2, and Old Dominion, Saturday, March 5.
Wednesday's game is set for tip at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Saturday's Senior Night matchup is set for tip at 2:00 p.m. CT.
Middle Tennessee (12-4, 20-6) dropped a nail biter last weekend to WKU in overtime. MT is tied for second placed with Old Dominion for second place and is two games behind Charlotte for first in the division, making these last two games in the Glass House crucial.
Last Time Out – Feb. 26 at WKU – (L, 93-97) RECAP
The Lady Raiders were shooting the lights out for a large portion of the game, especially from the three-point line, shooting 53 percent (16-of-30) and posted season highs for points and 3-pointers in the loss.
In the final quarter the Hilltoppers hit 10 consecutive field goals and went on a 10-0 run in the final 2:10 of regulation. WKU never trailed and was able to protect the lead down the stretch of the five-minute overtime.
Freshman Jalynn Gregory was able to hit career-high marks of 30 points and six three-pointers made. Gregory's remarkable night led all scorers and led to her being named Player of the Game.
Graduate student Dor Saar bounced back after a rough stretch of games, pouring in 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Junior Courtney Whitson had an efficient 20 point and 11 rebound double-double for the Lady Raiders.
Lady Raider Notes
Previewing the Charlotte 49ers (14-2, 18-8)
Charlotte sits at the top of the conference, needing to win one more game to solidify the top spot for the C-USA Tournament. Last time the two teams met was February 13, when the Blue Raiders topped the 49ers 46-45. Since that loss, MT has gone 3-1 and Charlotte has gone 5-0.
The niners lead the conference in blocks and are also third in the nation for three-point attempts per game. Although Charlotte attempts a handful of three-point shots, they are near the bottom of the league and rank 255th in the country for three-point percentage.
Fifth year senior out of Maryland, Octavia Jett-Wilson, leads the 49ers in scoring, averaging 18.6 ppg.
Fifth year senior KeKe McKinney is in the top-20 in the nation and sits at the top of the conference for blocked shots per game with 2.35.
The Lady Raiders lead the all-time series with Charlotte 10-1 and beat the 49ers 83-59 in their last matchup in the Murphy Center (01/04/20).
Previewing the Old Dominion Monarchs (12-4, 22-6)
Old Dominion is tied for the second spot with MT in the East Division with a 12-4 record in conference play. Last time the teams met, Old Dominion got the better of the Lady Raiders with a 58-56 win on February 10.
The Monarchs rank among the top-20 schools in the nation for turnover margin, steals, and turnovers forced. Offensively, ODU is in the ninth spot for scoring offense.
The duo of Graduate Student Iggy Allen and Senior Ajah Wayne combine for 28.5 points a game.
The Monarchs have four players with 40 or more steals, including their leader in steals, Senior Mariah Adams.
Old Dominion leads the all-time series 6-5 over the Lady Raiders, MT winning the last matchup in Murfreesboro, 74-70 a year ago.
Follow Along on Game Day
Wednesday's game is set for tip at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Saturday's Senior Night matchup is set for tip at 2:00 p.m. CT.
Middle Tennessee (12-4, 20-6) dropped a nail biter last weekend to WKU in overtime. MT is tied for second placed with Old Dominion for second place and is two games behind Charlotte for first in the division, making these last two games in the Glass House crucial.
Last Time Out – Feb. 26 at WKU – (L, 93-97) RECAP
The Lady Raiders were shooting the lights out for a large portion of the game, especially from the three-point line, shooting 53 percent (16-of-30) and posted season highs for points and 3-pointers in the loss.
In the final quarter the Hilltoppers hit 10 consecutive field goals and went on a 10-0 run in the final 2:10 of regulation. WKU never trailed and was able to protect the lead down the stretch of the five-minute overtime.
Freshman Jalynn Gregory was able to hit career-high marks of 30 points and six three-pointers made. Gregory's remarkable night led all scorers and led to her being named Player of the Game.
Graduate student Dor Saar bounced back after a rough stretch of games, pouring in 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Junior Courtney Whitson had an efficient 20 point and 11 rebound double-double for the Lady Raiders.
Lady Raider Notes
- Middle Tennessee has made 18 consecutive postseason appearances.
- MT is 117-35 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 18.0 ppg., which is three times it's average last season.
Previewing the Charlotte 49ers (14-2, 18-8)
Charlotte sits at the top of the conference, needing to win one more game to solidify the top spot for the C-USA Tournament. Last time the two teams met was February 13, when the Blue Raiders topped the 49ers 46-45. Since that loss, MT has gone 3-1 and Charlotte has gone 5-0.
The niners lead the conference in blocks and are also third in the nation for three-point attempts per game. Although Charlotte attempts a handful of three-point shots, they are near the bottom of the league and rank 255th in the country for three-point percentage.
Fifth year senior out of Maryland, Octavia Jett-Wilson, leads the 49ers in scoring, averaging 18.6 ppg.
Fifth year senior KeKe McKinney is in the top-20 in the nation and sits at the top of the conference for blocked shots per game with 2.35.
The Lady Raiders lead the all-time series with Charlotte 10-1 and beat the 49ers 83-59 in their last matchup in the Murphy Center (01/04/20).
Previewing the Old Dominion Monarchs (12-4, 22-6)
Old Dominion is tied for the second spot with MT in the East Division with a 12-4 record in conference play. Last time the teams met, Old Dominion got the better of the Lady Raiders with a 58-56 win on February 10.
The Monarchs rank among the top-20 schools in the nation for turnover margin, steals, and turnovers forced. Offensively, ODU is in the ninth spot for scoring offense.
The duo of Graduate Student Iggy Allen and Senior Ajah Wayne combine for 28.5 points a game.
The Monarchs have four players with 40 or more steals, including their leader in steals, Senior Mariah Adams.
Old Dominion leads the all-time series 6-5 over the Lady Raiders, MT winning the last matchup in Murfreesboro, 74-70 a year ago.
Follow Along on Game Day
Players Mentioned
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