Middle Tennessee Routes Florida A&M 80-54

Tuesday, November 26

Tallahassee, Fla.

11 a.m.

Middle Tennessee

5-1,0-0CUSA

Florida A&M

0-7,0-0SWAC

Middle Tenn.

Florida A&M

11/26/2024 2:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

The Blue Raiders win opener of three-game road trip

By: Zach Brown, MTSU Athletic Communications

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (5-1) began their three-game road trip today with a dominant 80-54 win over the Florida A&M Rattlers (0-7) at the Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Fla.

The win today improves Middle Tennessee's win streak to three and their overall record to 5-1 through the first six games of the 2024-25 season.

Offensive production came in bunches in the early going for the Blue Raiders, outscoring the Rattlers 23-5 in the opening quarter, led by Jalynn Gregory with 11 first quarter points and three three-point field goals. Middle Tennessee shot an impressive 52% from the field during the first 10 minutes of the game, including a 55% clip from beyond the arc.

MTSU continued to dominate the offensive end of the floor in the second quarter, shooting an even higher percentage from the floor at 53% and knocking down five of their six attempts from the charity stripe. The Blue Raiders would take a 44-15 lead into the halftime break.

The third quarter saw the evolution of the Middle Tennessee shooting performance climb to a 63% clip for the period, including a pair of three-point field goals. The Blue Raider lead was extended to 63-29 heading into the fourth quarter. The Rattlers cut into the 34-point deficit during the final 10 minutes, outscoring the Blue Raiders 25-17, however, it proved to be too little too late, as Middle Tennessee claimed their fifth win of the season today in Tallahassee 80-54.

Anastasiia Boldyreva featured as today's Player of the Game with 19 points, seven rebounds and a near-perfect, 8-9 shooting performance from the field. Ta'Mia Scott and Elina Arike added 15 and 14 points, respectively, both grabbing four rebounds.

Gregory, after a hot start to the game, finished as the fourth Blue Raiders in double figures with 11 points and led Middle Tennessee with three field goals from beyond the arc and three steals.

As a team, MTSU outrebounded Florida A&M 41-35, particularly seeing an uptick on the defensive end with a +13 advantage. The Blue Raiders were also +13 in assists and +10 in points in the paint, resulting in solid production from their frontcourt.

By the Numbers
52.9%: MTSU shot 52.9% (27-51) from the field, their second highest percentage of the season.
22: The Blue Raiders scored 22 points in transition, including 20 points off 21 Florida A&M turnovers.
16: Middle Tennessee finished the game with 16 assists from seven different players, including a game-high five from point-guard Courtney Blakely.

Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"I thought our first-line bunch played great today. They shared the ball. They rebounded the ball. Executed our offense. Played good defense. I have no complaints."
"Right now, we're healthy and heading to Fort Myers 5-1."

Blue Raider Notes
Four Blue Raiders entered double figures in today's win over Florida A&M with Boldyreva (19 pts), Scott (15 pts), Arike (14 pts) and Gregory (11 pts).

Up Next
The Blue Raiders will head even further south for the start of the Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off, and a Thanksgiving matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers at Suncoast Arena in
Fort Myers, Fla. at 3:30 P.M. CT.

Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), X (Formerly known as Twitter) (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).