Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, March 31
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
-278,144 CUSA
73
vs
74
Seton Hall
24-12,12-8Big East
1
2
3
4
F
Seton Hall
16
22
19
17
74
Middle Tenn.
14
12
24
23
73
Team Stats
SHU
MTSU
FG%
.475
.385
3FG%
.500
.333
FT%
.857
.857
RB
33
40
TO
12
11
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
Valiant postseason run ends for Lady Raiders
3/31/2022 10:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MT falls 74-73 in WNIT semis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It was exactly what the Lady Raiders wanted out of the timeout.
With 2.4 seconds on the clock, Kseniya Malashka got the look she wanted, the one she asked for in the huddle. Elbow extended from the key, trying to split two defenders to draw contact for a foul on a go-ahead bucket attempt down 74-73.
The contact was made, but the whistle never came.
The shot went up, but never found the net.
And while the Lady Raiders had battled back from 22 points down to take a four-point lead with 23 seconds to play, the home team would fall on their home court for the first time in 2022, losing the WNIT Semifinal to Seton Hall, 74-73.
"I thought she got a body down low, and they didn't make a call," head coach Rick Insell said. "Don't know why, but I've seen that happen. She went in and was able to get the ball up, but I still think there was too stuff much going on underneath. But still proud of (Malashka), she did exactly what we wanted to do."
The Belarusian international was exceptional off the bench for MT, scoring 25 points and hauling in nine rebounds to lead the Lady Raiders in both categories. She, alongside graduate guard Dor Saar, who made five 3-pointers en route to 19 points on the night, helped will Middle Tennessee (27-8) back into a game they looked to be out of in the second quarter, when the Pirates (24-12) went on a 20-0 run to lead by as much as 38-16.
But getting that far behind, even with a valiant comeback spurred on by 4,022 fans in the Glass House, can put teams in tough positions late in the game.
"I think the crowd really helped us get going in the second half," Saar said. "The run that we made; it came from defense. Once our defense locked in and we got stops and some steals, that's when we got going. But we put ourselves in that position. Trailing by 22, it's very hard to make a comeback."
Malashka was blunter in her assessment of the team's first half performance.
"Everybody has to be locked in, everybody has to bring something to the table," Malashka said. "Everybody has to play their role and execute, and I don't think everybody was on the same page today."
The first quarter started with a breakneck pace, with each team on pace for over 70 shots from the field and only one foul called between the two teams after the first 10 minutes where Seton Hall claimed a slight 16-14 lead. Middle Tennessee started the quarter 2-for-10 but made for four of their last seven shots to help cut into the lead. Saar was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers.
"When we got back to executing our offense, we got back into the basketball game," Insell said. "We missed a lot of early shots. Good looks that we missed that we usually hit. If we hit those, it wouldn't have been a 20-point lead."
Cold shooting came back at the worst time for MT, as the Lady Raiders started the second quarter 1-for-10 from the field, allowing the Pirates to go on a 20-0 run to build their lead as large as 22 points. But a 10-run of their own to end the half got Middle Tennessee within striking distance at halftime, taking a 38-26 deficit into the locker room at the break after Malashka scored two buckets within three seconds of one another, taking advantage of a Seton Hall travel in the closing seconds to get another shot.
MT kept the foot on the gas through the third quarter, hitting five threes in the quarter to cut the Pirate lead to as few as five, before a last second Seton Hall bucket gave SHU a 57-50 lead at the end of the frame. MT's five triples were one more than all the three-pointers the Lady Raiders made in the whole first half.
Continuing the game of runs, Middle Tennessee sustained an 11-0 run to take the lead in the fourth quarter, where some back and forth ensued until MT was up four with 23 seconds to play. But a quick drive and-1 from the Pirates, and a tie-up on the ensuing possession, gave Seton Hall the ball with 16 seconds to go, where Sidney Cooks scored her 27th and 28th points of the night on a lobbed pass for a layup, setting up the final shot that fell short.
"We never quit," Insell said. "They made some plays at the end. They executed two or three times in a row and we had a couple of breakdowns. So, I'm very proud of our young ladies. Hate it for our fans, hate it for our school, hate it for our team. They did everything they could do to win this game."
The 35 games the Lady Raiders played this season are the most played by any Middle Tennessee women's basketball team in program history, while the team's 27 wins are the fourth most posted in a Lady Raider campaign. Dor Saar finished with 90 made 3-pointers this season, the third most ever made in a single season by a Lady Raider.
"It's even above my expectations to be honest," Saar said of her single year as a Lady Raider. "I knew I was coming to a great program, great coaches, great teammates. But this year is one my best years in my life, to be honest. I think this program and this place, the people, everyone are amazing. So, I'm just very grateful that I had the opportunity to play for this school and for the coaches and to play with those amazing girls."
With 2.4 seconds on the clock, Kseniya Malashka got the look she wanted, the one she asked for in the huddle. Elbow extended from the key, trying to split two defenders to draw contact for a foul on a go-ahead bucket attempt down 74-73.
The contact was made, but the whistle never came.
The shot went up, but never found the net.
And while the Lady Raiders had battled back from 22 points down to take a four-point lead with 23 seconds to play, the home team would fall on their home court for the first time in 2022, losing the WNIT Semifinal to Seton Hall, 74-73.
"I thought she got a body down low, and they didn't make a call," head coach Rick Insell said. "Don't know why, but I've seen that happen. She went in and was able to get the ball up, but I still think there was too stuff much going on underneath. But still proud of (Malashka), she did exactly what we wanted to do."
The Belarusian international was exceptional off the bench for MT, scoring 25 points and hauling in nine rebounds to lead the Lady Raiders in both categories. She, alongside graduate guard Dor Saar, who made five 3-pointers en route to 19 points on the night, helped will Middle Tennessee (27-8) back into a game they looked to be out of in the second quarter, when the Pirates (24-12) went on a 20-0 run to lead by as much as 38-16.
But getting that far behind, even with a valiant comeback spurred on by 4,022 fans in the Glass House, can put teams in tough positions late in the game.
"I think the crowd really helped us get going in the second half," Saar said. "The run that we made; it came from defense. Once our defense locked in and we got stops and some steals, that's when we got going. But we put ourselves in that position. Trailing by 22, it's very hard to make a comeback."
Malashka was blunter in her assessment of the team's first half performance.
"Everybody has to be locked in, everybody has to bring something to the table," Malashka said. "Everybody has to play their role and execute, and I don't think everybody was on the same page today."
The first quarter started with a breakneck pace, with each team on pace for over 70 shots from the field and only one foul called between the two teams after the first 10 minutes where Seton Hall claimed a slight 16-14 lead. Middle Tennessee started the quarter 2-for-10 but made for four of their last seven shots to help cut into the lead. Saar was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers.
"When we got back to executing our offense, we got back into the basketball game," Insell said. "We missed a lot of early shots. Good looks that we missed that we usually hit. If we hit those, it wouldn't have been a 20-point lead."
Cold shooting came back at the worst time for MT, as the Lady Raiders started the second quarter 1-for-10 from the field, allowing the Pirates to go on a 20-0 run to build their lead as large as 22 points. But a 10-run of their own to end the half got Middle Tennessee within striking distance at halftime, taking a 38-26 deficit into the locker room at the break after Malashka scored two buckets within three seconds of one another, taking advantage of a Seton Hall travel in the closing seconds to get another shot.
MT kept the foot on the gas through the third quarter, hitting five threes in the quarter to cut the Pirate lead to as few as five, before a last second Seton Hall bucket gave SHU a 57-50 lead at the end of the frame. MT's five triples were one more than all the three-pointers the Lady Raiders made in the whole first half.
Continuing the game of runs, Middle Tennessee sustained an 11-0 run to take the lead in the fourth quarter, where some back and forth ensued until MT was up four with 23 seconds to play. But a quick drive and-1 from the Pirates, and a tie-up on the ensuing possession, gave Seton Hall the ball with 16 seconds to go, where Sidney Cooks scored her 27th and 28th points of the night on a lobbed pass for a layup, setting up the final shot that fell short.
"We never quit," Insell said. "They made some plays at the end. They executed two or three times in a row and we had a couple of breakdowns. So, I'm very proud of our young ladies. Hate it for our fans, hate it for our school, hate it for our team. They did everything they could do to win this game."
The 35 games the Lady Raiders played this season are the most played by any Middle Tennessee women's basketball team in program history, while the team's 27 wins are the fourth most posted in a Lady Raider campaign. Dor Saar finished with 90 made 3-pointers this season, the third most ever made in a single season by a Lady Raider.
"It's even above my expectations to be honest," Saar said of her single year as a Lady Raider. "I knew I was coming to a great program, great coaches, great teammates. But this year is one my best years in my life, to be honest. I think this program and this place, the people, everyone are amazing. So, I'm just very grateful that I had the opportunity to play for this school and for the coaches and to play with those amazing girls."
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
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Rick Insell Conference USA Hall of Fame Announcement
Wednesday, July 09
2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
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MTSU Women's Basketball Coach Rick Insell interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30
