Middle Tennesee State University Athletics

Lady Raiders Prepare for FIU
2/17/2023 2:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MIAMI—Middle Tennessee women's basketball looks to make it four straight wins Saturday when it faces FIU. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CDT at Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
The Lady Raiders (21-4, 14-2 C-USA) continue their three-game road trip after defeating Florida Atlantic 85-77 Thursday night.
The game will air on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Network.
LAST TIME OUT
Five Lady Raiders scored in double figures in Middle Tennessee's 85-77 win over Florida Atlantic Thursday.
As a team, the Lady Raiders (21-4, 14-2 C-USA) shot 56 percent (31-for-55). At the free throw line, MTSU made 11 of 12 attempts.
Shooting 69 percent (9-for-13) from the field in the first quarter, the Lady Raiders jumped out in front by six as Courtney Blakely's buzzer-beating jumper gave MTSU a 24-18 lead. MTSU grew its lead in the third quarter to as many as 24 thanks to a steady offensive attack that outscored FAU (12-13, 5-11 C-USA) 30-15 in the frame.
The Owls clawed their way back into the game in the fourth, but the Lady Raiders held off the late Florida Atlantic comeback bid.
After missing the last two games, Courtney Whitson returned and led all scorers with 21 points and pulled down five rebounds. Savannah Wheeler scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished four assists and added two steals. Jalynn Gregory scored 13 points along with three rebounds and three assists.
Off the bench, Kseniya Malashka finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and four assists and Courtney Blakely added 12 points.
ON THE COURT
Overall Stat Leaders
Points - Savannah Wheeler (16.5 PPG)
Rebounds - Courtney Whitson (7.8 RPG)
Assists - Savannah Wheeler (3.2 APG)
Steals - Jalynn Gregory (1.8 SPG)
LADY RAIDER NOTES
PREPARING FOR THE PANTHERS
The Lady Raiders (21-4, 14-2 C-USA) continue their three-game road trip after defeating Florida Atlantic 85-77 Thursday night.
The game will air on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Network.
LAST TIME OUT
Five Lady Raiders scored in double figures in Middle Tennessee's 85-77 win over Florida Atlantic Thursday.
As a team, the Lady Raiders (21-4, 14-2 C-USA) shot 56 percent (31-for-55). At the free throw line, MTSU made 11 of 12 attempts.
Shooting 69 percent (9-for-13) from the field in the first quarter, the Lady Raiders jumped out in front by six as Courtney Blakely's buzzer-beating jumper gave MTSU a 24-18 lead. MTSU grew its lead in the third quarter to as many as 24 thanks to a steady offensive attack that outscored FAU (12-13, 5-11 C-USA) 30-15 in the frame.
The Owls clawed their way back into the game in the fourth, but the Lady Raiders held off the late Florida Atlantic comeback bid.
After missing the last two games, Courtney Whitson returned and led all scorers with 21 points and pulled down five rebounds. Savannah Wheeler scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished four assists and added two steals. Jalynn Gregory scored 13 points along with three rebounds and three assists.
Off the bench, Kseniya Malashka finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and four assists and Courtney Blakely added 12 points.
ON THE COURT
Overall Stat Leaders
Points - Savannah Wheeler (16.5 PPG)
Rebounds - Courtney Whitson (7.8 RPG)
Assists - Savannah Wheeler (3.2 APG)
Steals - Jalynn Gregory (1.8 SPG)
LADY RAIDER NOTES
- Courtney Whitson led the way Thursday night by scoring a season-high 21 points. Whitson continues to climb MTSU's career charts as she's fifth on the rebounding list with 792 career rebounds, sixth in career treys with 211 treys and sixth in minutes played with 3882.
- Savannah Wheeler carried over her solid play from last week that earned her C-USA Player of the Week with an 18-point, five-rebound performance vs. FAU.
- MTSU improved to 135-3 under head coach Rick Insell when scoring at least 80 points. The Lady Raiders are 8-0 this season when scoring 80-plus points.
- MTSU shot a season-best 50 percent (12-for-24) from 3-point range in Thursday night's win. Averaging eight treys per game, the Lady Raiders are one 3 away from their 16th overall and ninth straight season of making at least 200 3s.
PREPARING FOR THE PANTHERS
- FIU is 2-2 since falling to the Lady Raiders Jan. 28. The Panthers defeated both Charlotte and UAB at home the next week, but fell to both Louisiana Tech and Rice on the road last week. The two losses dropped FIU below .500 in Conference play (7-8).
- The Panthers lead C-USA in both 3-point percentage defense (27.8 percent) and offensive rebounds per game (15.1), but sits at the bottom in scoring defense (68.8 points per game) and turnovers per game (20.4).
- Just one Panther (Maria Torres, 22) has started more than 20 games this season.
- Kaliah Henderson is averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game
Players Mentioned
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
Rick Insell Conference USA Hall of Fame Announcement
Wednesday, July 09
2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
Thursday, July 03
MTSU Women's Basketball Coach Rick Insell interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30