Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: “They just woke us up”
2/12/2023 5:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
After disappointment in Texas, the Lady Raiders found their footing in the Glass House this weekend
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Rick Insell had that glimmer in his eye the moment he walked into the auxiliary gym Thursday night.
The veteran head coach has a glimmer in his eye after almost every game in the Murphy Center. Perhaps it's because he's almost always accompanied to his media availability by his grandkids, or the fact that his Middle Tennessee women's basketball team tends to wallop their opponent more times than not at home. On Thursday night, after a 94-81 win over rival WKU, one would expect Insell to be in a good mood.
But the glimmer those of us that attend Insell's post-game pressers saw was a special one. One that told us that no matter what questions we had prepared, after the two losses MTSU earned in Texas the previous weeks and the way the Lady Raiders won that night, there was at least one message Insell wanted to make sure got out afterwards.
"I'm very, very proud of this group," Insell began in his opening statement. "Very proud. They came in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and worked hard, they bought into the scouting report."
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Famer had a lot to be proud of with his team that night, coming back from a first half deficit to control the game throughout the second half, matching WKU's plan to play with pace with the Lady Raiders' best offensive night of the season. Insell had plenty of other folks to praise with the rest of his opening statement, however.
"As proud as I am of our players, I'm more proud of our staff. Our staff came back after losing two games and they worked through Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to get ready for this game and to get ready for this week."
Another classic Rick Insell moment, taking the time to praise his staff for the work they put in off the court to get his team ready. The head coach pushed forward.
"Big win for our players, big win for the program, big win for the staff," Insell paused for a brief moment, before deciding to end with the finishing blow.
"They thought they killed us in Texas, but they just woke us up."
It was said matter-of-factly in the press room, almost off-handedly at the end of the opening statement. But in that moment, it was clear Insell was establishing to his team, to the rest of Conference USA and to really the entire country who the Lady Raiders were going to be the rest of the season.
And if you missed it post-game, his office (via our office in Athletic Communications) made sure you heard it long after the Lady Raiders left the Murphy Center on Thursday night.
It was an exclamation point to a rivalry win, to be sure, one that saw Savannah Wheeler back to her best self with 37 points on 11-of-16 from the floor and 13-for-15 from the free throw line, the point total being the best she's recorded in an MTSU uniform. One that saw the outside shooting, ice cold in the Lone Star State for the whole team, return to form in a game where the Lady Raiders needed every single one of them.
But that win over WKU, along with the 63-42 win over UAB on Saturday, showed the Lady Raiders' resiliency in more than just getting back to form after disappointing results. With Courtney Whitson out with an ankle injury, so many folks on the MTSU team had to step up to make these wins happen.
In the rotation, Alexis Whittington moved to the four, making her primary or secondary screener on a plethora of play calls, in addition to having to take on more of a load offensively. Courtney Blakely moved into the starting lineup, while Anastasiia Boldyreva had to contend with being the only big on the floor at times against the Lady Toppers and Blazers. Off the bench, Kseniya Malashka found herself playing alongside Boldyreva more often, while Ta'Mia Scott found herself playing more minutes than she had in weeks.
"I'd hate to have done it without her," Insell said of Scott after the WKU win. "She's been practicing hard for the last two weeks. You just can't get down when things maybe don't go your way. Ta'Mia hadn't been used a lot, but we know how talented she is. I think she showed everybody tonight."
Everyone rose to the occasion. Whittington took over as the vocal leader on court with her fellow captain out, while also attacking the glass to make up for the conference's leading rebounder being out. Blakely, Wheeler and Jalynn Gregory broke down defenses designed to create havoc with smart ball-handling decisions in the back court. Boldyreva showed toughness, fighting with physicality to make her presence known. And Scott used her length and size as a guard to rebound and defend when MTSU needed it most.
It was two complete team wins when MTSU needed to make a statement. And now, with just five games left in the regular season, the focus must remain high on the road in Florida this coming weekend, as the players well know after Texas.
"When we went to Texas for two games, we didn't play full games," Gregory said after the UAB win. "We're going to have to come in focused and know that our defense is going to have to carry us through those games."
The veteran head coach has a glimmer in his eye after almost every game in the Murphy Center. Perhaps it's because he's almost always accompanied to his media availability by his grandkids, or the fact that his Middle Tennessee women's basketball team tends to wallop their opponent more times than not at home. On Thursday night, after a 94-81 win over rival WKU, one would expect Insell to be in a good mood.
But the glimmer those of us that attend Insell's post-game pressers saw was a special one. One that told us that no matter what questions we had prepared, after the two losses MTSU earned in Texas the previous weeks and the way the Lady Raiders won that night, there was at least one message Insell wanted to make sure got out afterwards.
"I'm very, very proud of this group," Insell began in his opening statement. "Very proud. They came in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and worked hard, they bought into the scouting report."
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Famer had a lot to be proud of with his team that night, coming back from a first half deficit to control the game throughout the second half, matching WKU's plan to play with pace with the Lady Raiders' best offensive night of the season. Insell had plenty of other folks to praise with the rest of his opening statement, however.
"As proud as I am of our players, I'm more proud of our staff. Our staff came back after losing two games and they worked through Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to get ready for this game and to get ready for this week."
Another classic Rick Insell moment, taking the time to praise his staff for the work they put in off the court to get his team ready. The head coach pushed forward.
"Big win for our players, big win for the program, big win for the staff," Insell paused for a brief moment, before deciding to end with the finishing blow.
"They thought they killed us in Texas, but they just woke us up."
It was said matter-of-factly in the press room, almost off-handedly at the end of the opening statement. But in that moment, it was clear Insell was establishing to his team, to the rest of Conference USA and to really the entire country who the Lady Raiders were going to be the rest of the season.
And if you missed it post-game, his office (via our office in Athletic Communications) made sure you heard it long after the Lady Raiders left the Murphy Center on Thursday night.
Quote of the night. #BLUEnited | #TrueBlue pic.twitter.com/GZeOQadKes
— MT Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) February 10, 2023
It was an exclamation point to a rivalry win, to be sure, one that saw Savannah Wheeler back to her best self with 37 points on 11-of-16 from the floor and 13-for-15 from the free throw line, the point total being the best she's recorded in an MTSU uniform. One that saw the outside shooting, ice cold in the Lone Star State for the whole team, return to form in a game where the Lady Raiders needed every single one of them.
But that win over WKU, along with the 63-42 win over UAB on Saturday, showed the Lady Raiders' resiliency in more than just getting back to form after disappointing results. With Courtney Whitson out with an ankle injury, so many folks on the MTSU team had to step up to make these wins happen.
In the rotation, Alexis Whittington moved to the four, making her primary or secondary screener on a plethora of play calls, in addition to having to take on more of a load offensively. Courtney Blakely moved into the starting lineup, while Anastasiia Boldyreva had to contend with being the only big on the floor at times against the Lady Toppers and Blazers. Off the bench, Kseniya Malashka found herself playing alongside Boldyreva more often, while Ta'Mia Scott found herself playing more minutes than she had in weeks.
"I'd hate to have done it without her," Insell said of Scott after the WKU win. "She's been practicing hard for the last two weeks. You just can't get down when things maybe don't go your way. Ta'Mia hadn't been used a lot, but we know how talented she is. I think she showed everybody tonight."
Everyone rose to the occasion. Whittington took over as the vocal leader on court with her fellow captain out, while also attacking the glass to make up for the conference's leading rebounder being out. Blakely, Wheeler and Jalynn Gregory broke down defenses designed to create havoc with smart ball-handling decisions in the back court. Boldyreva showed toughness, fighting with physicality to make her presence known. And Scott used her length and size as a guard to rebound and defend when MTSU needed it most.
It was two complete team wins when MTSU needed to make a statement. And now, with just five games left in the regular season, the focus must remain high on the road in Florida this coming weekend, as the players well know after Texas.
"When we went to Texas for two games, we didn't play full games," Gregory said after the UAB win. "We're going to have to come in focused and know that our defense is going to have to carry us through those games."
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