Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
9-3,0-0CUSA
Stephen F. Austin
6-4,2-0WAC
Lady Raiders trounce Ladyjacks in return to Murphy Center
12/17/2023 5:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
A dominant first half powered MTSU to a wire-to-wire win on Sunday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee women's basketball started aggressive and kept their foot on the gas on Sunday, jumping out to a 25-point halftime lead before cruising to a 72-47 win over Stephen F. Austin in the Murphy Center.
The Lady Raiders (9-3) were active on the defensive end, holding the Ladyjacks (6-4) to just 29.6 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, only allowing 20 points in the game's first 20 minutes. On the other end of the court, MTSU started hot from outside, knocking down eight three-pointers in the first half, taking advantage of SFA's matchup zone to find open shots, at one point going on a 15-0 run between the first and second quarters.
MTSU would lead by as many as 29 points in the second half, ultimately cruising their way to victory by continuing to keep SFA off the three-point line. After entering Sunday's matchup averaging nearly 26 three-point attempts per game, the Ladyjacks were held to just 10 shots beyond the arc on Sunday, only making two of those attempts.
Savannah Wheeler was lethal in her first game as a MTSU graduate, scoring a season-high 25 points while draining five three-pointers, with all five of those triples coming in the first half. She also led the team with eight rebounds. Courtney Whitson was steady at forward, scoring 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out four assists and grabbing three steals. Jalynn Gregory scored nine points and led the Lady Raiders with five assists, turning the ball over zero times on Sunday.
By the Numbers
5: Three-point field goals for Savannah Wheeler, a tying a career-high for the graduate guard. It's the fourth time the 2023-24 Preseason CUSA Player of the Year has made five three pointers in the game, most recently knocking down five against UAB on January 16, 2023.
6: Steals for Ta'Mia Scott, a new career-high in a single game for the sophomore wing. Scott was the catalyst to many of MTSU's 28 points off turnovers on Sunday.
15: Team steals for MTSU, a season-high in that category. SFA turned the ball over 21 times in total on Sunday, giving plenty of extra possessions to the Lady Raiders.
Lady Raider Notes
• Courtney Whitson is now four three-point baskets away from tying the program record of 259 set by Kortni Jones (2009-13)
• Anastasiia Boldyreva posted five blocks on the afternoon. She leads the league and ranks third in the nation with 38 on the season.
• Double-Digits: Wheeler logged her 99th career double-digit performance, while Whitson tallied her 60th.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"When you get out like in the first half like we did, we were executing, we were finishing, we were playing up the line defense, we rebounded the basketball, we're hard to beat. That's was the whole thing. It's hard to keep a team's attention. I've been in this 48 years, 49 years, it's hard to keep them from playing the scoreboard when you get up like that. You can talk about it, you can do whatever you want to do, but still go out there at times and do it."
Player's Perspective – Courtney Whitson
"We had, obviously, a long time to prep for this game. But we've been practicing a lot on our fundamentals on defense. Making sure that's our priority, going back to preseason drills, haven't we Sav?, all week. That's been our focus. We all know that any given night, anybody can score on our basketball team."
Up Next
The Lady Raiders will get to enjoy the home court of the Murphy Center for just the fifth time this season later this week, when MTSU welcomes Northern Kentucky on Wednesday, December 20. Tipoff against the Norse is set for 6:30 p.m. for the program's annual Teddy Bear Toss Game. Fans are encouraged to bring a new stuffed teddy bear/animal to toss onto the court at halftime to donate to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.
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).
