Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
No. 25 Middle Tennessee begins tourney run Thursday
3/8/2023 3:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lady Raiders face Charlotte in C-USA quarterfinals
FRISCO, Texas — It's Tournament Time for No. 25 Middle Tennessee women's basketball, which starts its Conference USA Tournament on Thursday, facing off against ninth-seeded Charlotte.
The C-USA Champion Lady Raiders (25-4, 18-2 C-USA) earned the No. 1 seed in the Ford Center at The Star after dominating the regular season in conference play and enter the festivities in Frisco the winners of seven straight games.
A win on Thursday night would put MTSU in the Conference USA semifinals for the fourth straight season and the eighth time in nine years in C-USA for the Lady Raiders.
The 2022-23 regular season conference championship is the 20th in program history and the second as a member of C-USA, while the team's 18 league wins is a new C-USA record, besting the previous mark of 16 wins set by several teams.
All-Conference Honors
The Lady Raiders were well represented when the Conference USA office released its annual Women's Basketball Awards on Tuesday, with five members of the program awarded by the league.
MTSU placed three players on the conference's two All-Conference teams (First Teamers Savannah Wheeler and Courtney Whitson and Second Teamer Jalynn Gregory). Kseniya Malashka was also named Sixth Player of the Year for the second season in a row.
Head Coach Rick Insell was named Co-Coach of the Year, his fourth Conference Coach of the Year Honor since coaching at MTSU and his first Coach of the Year honor in Conference USA.
ON THE COURT
Overall Stat Leaders
Points – Kseniya Malashka (15.4 PPG)
Rebounds - Courtney Whitson (7.9 RPG)
Assists - Savannah Wheeler (3.1 APG)
Steals - Jalynn Gregory (1.7 SPG)
Last Time Out
No. 25 Middle Tennessee women's basketball had to grit it out but came out victorious in a thrilling home finale to cap off the 2022-23 C-USA Regular Season Championship, defeating UTEP 72-68 in overtime at the Murphy Center.
The Lady Raiders led by as many as 15 in the third quarter against the Miners thanks to an active post game that sustained several mini-runs in the middle 20 minutes of the game. But UTEP came roaring back in the fourth quarter to take a five-point lead. Free throws from Jalynn Gregory and a converted and-1 from Courtney Blakely tied the game up after a five-point deficit, forcing overtime.
In the final period, MTSU came up in the clutch, taking advantage of five missed Miner free throws, never trailing after Gregory's go-ahead free throw with 1:20 to play. The Lady Raiders sank seven of their eight foul shots to end the game late.
Kseniya Malashka led the team off the bench on her senior night, tying with Gregory for a team-leading 17 points, securing the rebound off a missed Miner layup and putting MTSU up two scores with the final free throw of the game. Alexis Whittington, who drew a huge offensive foul in the fourth quarter to stop a UTEP drive, scored eight points in her final home game of her Lady Raider career, leading the team with nine rebounds.
Lady Raider Conference Tournament Notes
• MTSU has won eight of its 16 conference tournament championships under HC Rick Insell (the 2020 C-USA Championships was canceled due to COVID-19).
• MTSU has appeared in the championship game 24 times with a 16-8 record. HC Rick Insell has been at the helm for 12 of the program's 24 tournament title games.
• MTSU has appeared in the tournament semifinals 35 times, posting a 24-11 record
• The Lady Raiders are 12-3 in the semifinals under Insell.
• The Lady Raiders are 32-7 in its opening game of conference tournament play (14-2 in opening tournament games under Insell).
Scouting the 49ers
- Charlotte finished ninth in C-USA play this season and enters Thursdays' game with a record of 12-18. The Lady Raiders swept Charlotte in their season series, winning both games by an average of 24.5 points.
- First Team All-Conference USA guard Jada McMillian is the engine that makes the 49er offense run, averaging 12.6 points per game while dishing out 5.1 assists per contest.
- Fellow All-Conference USA First Team selection Dazia Lawrence had a stellar start to the C-USA Tournament against FIU, scoring 27 points against the Panthers to lead Charlotte to the 72-59 victory in the opening round matchup.
- The 49ers are known for playing with a deliberate pace, with a focus on getting the ball inside. Charlotte made and attempted the fewest amount of three-pointers in Conference USA this season.
- MTSU leads the all-time series with Charlotte 12-1, with all matchups coming once the Lady Raiders joined Conference USA in 2014.
