Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, February 25
Ruston, LA
1 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
-234,162 CUSA
61
at
59
Louisiana Tech
-1711,108 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Middle Tenn.
15
15
12
19
61
Louisiana Tech
12
12
17
18
59
Team Stats
MTSU
LATech
FG%
.479
.370
3FG%
.333
.308
FT%
.833
.789
RB
38
24
TO
17
7
STL
2
5
Game Leaders
Pts
27
FGM
11
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Louisiana Tech Athletics
Malashka Leads No. 25 Lady Raiders in Thrilling Win Over La Tech
2/25/2023 5:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Redshirt-senior scores 27, comes up big in final moments
RUSTON, La.—No. 25 Middle Tennessee women's basketball came out on top in a battle over Louisiana Tech, winning 61-59, in its regular season road finale Saturday.
Kseniya Malashka not only tied her career high of 27 points, but hit the go-ahead shot with three seconds left in the game and blocked La Tech's potential game-tying shot attempt soon after at the other end of the floor as time expired.
Jalynn Gregory scored the first nine Lady Raider points as MTSU got out to a 9-2 lead at the 5:45 mark in the first quarter. Kseniya Malashka took over in the second quarter, scoring MTSU's first 10 points and 12 of her own 15 first half points. With the help of Malashka, MTSU shot 60 percent (6-for-10) from the floor in the second and held a 30-24 advantage heading into the break.
MTSU led for the entire third quarter and was up 42-41 heading into the fourth. Neither team held more than a three-point lead in a tight final frame. Gregory's clutch three with 1:16 remaining put the Lady Raiders back in front (59-57) and set the stage for Malashka's heroics in the final seconds.
Malashka finished with eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 27 minutes. Gregory played in all 40 minutes and scored 16 points and five rebounds. Courtney Whitson, who also played 40 minutes, pulled down 11 rebounds and scored seven points. Savannah Wheeler added nine points and two assists.
By The Numbers
11: Field goals made in 16 attempts by Kseniya Malashka. The 11 field goals tied her career high.
72.7%: Middle Tennessee made eight of its final 11 field goal attempts.
8: Lead changes along with 11 ties. The fourth quarter featured four lead changes and eight ties.
Game Notes
"It was like a tournament game. We're playing to get into the NCAA Tournament and they're playing for one of those top five seeds in the conference tournament, so it was a big game for both teams."
"Real proud of our young ladies. They did a tremendous job. We're 8-2 on the road in league play this year. Not very many teams in any conference have that record, and these young ladies have gone into some tough places, made some big plays and won some games. I'm awfully proud of them."
On Malashka's play at the end of the game
"We knew they were going to go to Walker, we knew that, and Jalynn doubled up on her, and that was good. It kept her from getting the ball and they had to get into her, she had to rush to the center line. Then when she came back and she took two dribbles, I knew she wasn't going to be able to make a pass and then get it off. Kseniya knew that, too. Basketball IQ took over and she stepped up and deflected the shot. That was a big play. But there were big plays made by our players all day long."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee returns to the Murphy Center for its final two games of the regular season, starting with North Texas March 2. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Follow the Lady Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), Twitter (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).
Kseniya Malashka not only tied her career high of 27 points, but hit the go-ahead shot with three seconds left in the game and blocked La Tech's potential game-tying shot attempt soon after at the other end of the floor as time expired.
Jalynn Gregory scored the first nine Lady Raider points as MTSU got out to a 9-2 lead at the 5:45 mark in the first quarter. Kseniya Malashka took over in the second quarter, scoring MTSU's first 10 points and 12 of her own 15 first half points. With the help of Malashka, MTSU shot 60 percent (6-for-10) from the floor in the second and held a 30-24 advantage heading into the break.
MTSU led for the entire third quarter and was up 42-41 heading into the fourth. Neither team held more than a three-point lead in a tight final frame. Gregory's clutch three with 1:16 remaining put the Lady Raiders back in front (59-57) and set the stage for Malashka's heroics in the final seconds.
Malashka finished with eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 27 minutes. Gregory played in all 40 minutes and scored 16 points and five rebounds. Courtney Whitson, who also played 40 minutes, pulled down 11 rebounds and scored seven points. Savannah Wheeler added nine points and two assists.
By The Numbers
11: Field goals made in 16 attempts by Kseniya Malashka. The 11 field goals tied her career high.
72.7%: Middle Tennessee made eight of its final 11 field goal attempts.
8: Lead changes along with 11 ties. The fourth quarter featured four lead changes and eight ties.
Game Notes
- Ten road wins are the most in a season by the Lady Raiders since going 12-2 in 2013-14.
- Middle Tennessee extends its winning streak to five.
- Kseniya Malashka posted her seventh 20-plus point game of the season and the 14th of her Lady Raider career.
"It was like a tournament game. We're playing to get into the NCAA Tournament and they're playing for one of those top five seeds in the conference tournament, so it was a big game for both teams."
"Real proud of our young ladies. They did a tremendous job. We're 8-2 on the road in league play this year. Not very many teams in any conference have that record, and these young ladies have gone into some tough places, made some big plays and won some games. I'm awfully proud of them."
On Malashka's play at the end of the game
"We knew they were going to go to Walker, we knew that, and Jalynn doubled up on her, and that was good. It kept her from getting the ball and they had to get into her, she had to rush to the center line. Then when she came back and she took two dribbles, I knew she wasn't going to be able to make a pass and then get it off. Kseniya knew that, too. Basketball IQ took over and she stepped up and deflected the shot. That was a big play. But there were big plays made by our players all day long."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee returns to the Murphy Center for its final two games of the regular season, starting with North Texas March 2. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Follow the Lady Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), Twitter (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).
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