Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
4-2,0-0CUSA
Memphis
2-4,0-0AAC
Lady Raiders top Tigers 64-57 in Atlantis
11/20/2023 7:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MTSU goes 2-1 at the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Women's Battle 4 Atlantis
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Thanks to another strong performance from CUSA Player of the Week Anastasiia Boldyreva, Middle Tennessee defeated Memphis 64-57 on the final day of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Lady Raiders (4-2) jumped out to an early 8-0 lead against the Tigers (2-4), however, Memphis immediately battled back. The two squads traded buckets until MTSU used a 9-0 scoring run to pull away in the second quarter and enter the half up 29-27.
After a back-and-forth third quarter, the Lady Raiders used an 8-0 run to take a 52-46 lead. The Tigers would narrow the margin to within three down the stretch, but a corner three by Courtney Whitson gave MTSU the momentum to close the game out.
Anastasiia Boldyreva led all scorers with a season-high 25 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and a career-high six blocks. She was followed by Courtney Whitson who tallied 15 points and nine rebounds, and Ta'Mia Scott who notched 10 points and four boards.
By the Numbers
2-1: Middle Tennessee went 2-1 at the Battle 4 Atlantis, which featured one of the toughest fields in women's hoops.
21: The Lady Raiders took advantage of second-chance opportunities on the evening, scoring 21 second-chance points to the Tigers' 13.
2: Middle Tennessee picked up its second win over Memphis on the season.
Lady Raider Notes
• The Lady Raiders blocked 10 shots on the evening - the last time an MTSU squad had 10 or more blocks was Jan. 31, 2015 against UTEP (13).
• Anastasiia Boldyreva logged a career-high six blocks. She now leads the country in blocks with 20.
• Double-Digit Performances: Whitson tallied her 58th, while Boldyreva notched her 25th and Scott logged her fourth.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"That was a good game… We went down two or three times. I was really proud of our players. We came back and did what we had to do to get the lead back and then we were able to close it out. I thought Courtney (Whitson) in the last three to four minutes was unbelievable. She hit a big-time three in the dead corner after they had just blocked one. You have to have guts to go back over and take that shot again. Then she went in there and got a rebound and was able to hit Ta'Mia (Scott) on a cut for a basket. I thought those five points were big and Jada Grannum came in and made two big free throws when she gave Anastasiia (Boldyreva) a breather. When Anastasiia went back in, she went to work. That's what we need. She had a double double tonight. We need that every night."
Up Next
The Lady Raiders will travel to Edwardsville, Illinois to take on the SIUE Cougars on Sunday, Nov. 26. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT.
Follow the Lady Raiders
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