Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
3-2,0-0CUSA
DePaul
2-3,0-0Big East
Lady Raiders top Blue Demons 71-69 in Atlantis
11/19/2023 9:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Middle Tennessee found its rhythm early and fought off a late comeback, defeating DePaul 71-69 on day two of the Battle 4 Atlantis
The Lady Raiders (3-2) found their rhythm offensive right out of the gate, jumping out to a 25-18 lead after one-quarter of action. MTSU continued to roll, building its lead up to 45-31 going into the half.
After a back-and-forth third period, DePaul (2-3) used a 13-2 run in the forth quarter to draw within two in the final minutes of the game, however, the Lady Raiders held on to win 71-69.
Ta'Mia Scott led all scorers with a career-high 20 points and six rebounds. She was followed by Savannah Wheeler who tallied 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Anastasiia Boldyreva with 14 points, eight boards and three blocks, and Courtney Whitson who notched 12 points and three rebounds.
By the Numbers
37-36: The Lady Raiders won the battle of the boards 37-36.
11: Middle Tennessee knocked down 11 3-point baskets on the night, shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc.
14-8-7: Savannah Wheeler nearly notched the first triple-double by a Lady Raider since 2020.
Lady Raider Notes
• Ta'Mia Scott tallied a career-high 20 points on the evening, 14 of which came in the first quarter.
• Savannah Wheeler tied her career high with seven assists - the third time in her career.
• Double-digit performances: Wheeler logged her 94th career double-digit outing, while Whitson tallied her 57th, Boldyreva notched her 24th and Scott logged her third.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"We didn't do a real good job closing out the game. We got tired. Courtney (Whitson) fouled out. That took a little bit away from us there… I think we had 14 turnovers in the second half. We only had three in the first half. That gave DePaul more possessions. We ended up shooting the ball 62 times and they shot it 60 times. We knew they were a great shooting team. We just got tired and they were coming down shooting the basketball and it was going in. Give DePaul credit, they don't quit. They don't give up. We told our player that going into the game."
Up Next
The Lady Raiders will take on Memphis on Monday, Nov. 20 at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Tipoff set for 4 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on FloSports.
Follow the Lady Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), X (Formerly known as Twitter) (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).
