Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
10-3,0-0CUSA
Northern Kentucky
2-8,0-1Horizon
Lady Raiders conquer Norse on both ends of the court to wrap up 2023 in the Glass House
12/20/2023 9:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
In the final home game of the calendar year, MTSU Women’s Basketball dominated in every facet
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee women's basketball took an early punch on the nose, but hit back with a flurry of their own afterwards, striking back from an early seven-point deficit to dominate the rest of the way against Northern Kentucky, defeating the Norse 83-42 on Wednesday night in the Murphy Center.
After the Norse (2-8) made their first four shots of the game to take a 9-2 lead, the Lady Raiders (10-3) countered with an 8-0 run entirely on the back of Iullia Grabovskaia, who scored eight straight points off the bench while dominating the offensive glass to take the lead for MTSU. A trio of three-pointers, one from Savannah Wheeler and two from Jalynn Gregory set the Lady Raiders up with a seven-point lead after one quarter and set the tone for the rest of the night in the Glass House.
MTSU would hold NKU to just 8-for-35 shooting over the final 30 minutes of play, stretching their lead to as many as 42 while making 43 percent of their shots from the field for the game.
Savannah Wheeler led the charge offensively, scoring 34 points with five three-pointers and seven rebounds, also dishing out three assists to her teammates. Gregory was again a threat from deep and at the charity stripe, making both four threes and four free throws on Wednesday to score 16 points. Grabovskaia set career highs in both points and rebounds, just missing out on a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive glass.
By the Numbers
100: Career double-digit scoring games from Savannah Wheeler, who led the Lady Raiders with 34 points on Wednesday, the most points Wheeler has scored in an MTSU uniform. It was the 33rd time the fifth-year guard has scored at least 20 points and the eighth time in her career she's scored at least 30 points.
35: Points off turnovers for MTSU, who turned the Norse over 20 times on Wednesday. Eight of those turnovers came on Lady Raider steals with three Lady Raiders (Courtney Whitson, Savannah Wheeler and Jalynn Gregory) each grabbing two steals apiece.
30: Points in the paint for MTSU. Whether it was Anastasiia Boldyreva or Iullia Grabovskaia in the post or Savannah Wheeler on the drive, the Lady Raiders found ways to kiss shots in off the glass for a plethora of points on the evening.
Lady Raider Notes
• Savannah Wheeler went off for a season-high 34 points (the most points scored by a CUSA player this season), seven rebounds and three assists.
• Wheeler connected a career-high five three-point baskets for the second consecutive game. She is just one three-pointer away from becoming the 16th player in CUSA history to eclipse 200 career three-point field goals made.
• Iullia Grabovskaia logged a career high 14 points, career high nine rebounds and career high two assists in just 12 minutes of action.
• Ta'Mia Scott posted 10 boards on the night, her fourth double-digit rebounding performance.
• The Lady Raiders are 141-3 all-time when scoring 80 or more points under Coach Insell.
• MTSU is 139-18 when connecting on 10 or more three-point fields goals under Coach Insell.
• Double-Digits: Wheeler logged her 100th career double-digit performance, while Gregory tallied her 43rd and Grabovskaia notched her first.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"It was kind of a methodical game. We scored 83 points. They meant to slow it down on the other end, run some time off, hope to keep the score down and I guess they were hoping to hit more shots than they did. They ended up shooting 29 percent for the game. I thought the kids were prepared. I thought that Matt, who had this game, and Tom, behind the scenes, they had them prepared. They knew exactly what they were going to do."
Player's Perspective – Savannah Wheeler
"Just before practice, I'll just get on the gun, shoot however many shots I can make before practice, every single day. I have a routine and when I have a routine, I normally like to stick with it. I guess that's just been kind of vital for me."
Up Next
After some time off for the Christmas holidays, the Lady Raiders will hit the road to complete the final leg of the CUSA/WAC Scheduling Initiative, traveling to Grand Canyon for a game on December 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT that Saturday.
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).
