Blue Raiders Down Grand Canyon 57-47 in Home Opener

Friday, November 8

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6:30 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

2-0,0-0CUSA

Grand Canyon

1-1,0-0WAC

Grand Canyon

Middle Tenn.

11/8/2024 9:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Anthony Fiorella, MTSU Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Following an early-season defeat at the hands of Grand Canyon University (1-1, 0-0 WAC) last season, Middle Tennessee didn't take the Lopes lightly in their home opener, picking up a 57-47 win to improve to 2-0 (0-0 CUSA).

Both teams had scoring droughts of at least three minutes or longer to close out the game's opening quarter as Grand Canyon led 13-8 after the first quarter. Both teams combined for a total of 10 fouls to open the night.

The Lopes caught fire in the second quarter, going on a 9-2 run after hitting three straight three-pointers over a three-minute span to open a 22-12 advantage. Middle Tennessee responded by closing out the first half on an impressive 12-0 run, capped off by a buzzer beating three-pointer by Anastasiia Boldyreva to cut the Lopes lead to one at 27-26 heading into the locker room. Boldyreva had 11 points on a perfect five-of-five shooting to go with three rebounds and two blocked shots. Point guard Courtney Blakely contributed six points and had two rebounds and a steal.

There was still defense aplenty by both teams to begin the second half, as both teams went on another three-plus minute scoring drought midway through the third quarter. That's when junior Ta'mia Scott took over for Middle Tennessee, providing an important seven points and had a great cross-court assist, finding Anastasiia Boldyreva running the floor on the fast break to get Middle Tennessee it's largest lead of the night at 37-34 with 2:32 seconds to go, a lead it'd take into the fourth quarter at 39-36.

Grand Canyon held a 29-23 advantage on the glass, but Middle Tennessee made up for it with a 17-14 margin in the turnover department, scoring 11 points to Grand Canyon's seven off of those turnovers, holding the Lopes to just 30% shooting from the field as a team.

Middle Tennessee continued to play tough defense in the fourth quarter, forcing WAC preseason player of the year Trinity San Antonio to foul out with just over seven minutes left in the game. Middle Tennessee held San Antonio to just two points and forced her into committing seven turnovers in 15 minutes. The Blue Raiders outscored Grand Canyon 8-1 to open the fourth quarter as the Lopes didn't get a point until the 6:38 mark of the quarter.

Though there wasn't much scoring, a glaring advantage for the Blue Raiders was points in the paint. Middle Tennessee outscored Grand Canyon 38-8 down low, thanks in large part to Anastasiia Boldyreva, who finished with 16 points. Ta'mia Scott's strong second half resulted in a 17 point, seven rebound and six assist night, with several of those points and assists coming late to help Middle Tennessee put the game on ice.

By the Numbers
7: Anastasiia Boldyreva was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field.
15: Middle Tennessee held Grand Canyon to just 15 made field goals on the night for a total of 15-55, just 27% from the field.
47: The lowest amount of points scored by GCU in a game since 2022. The 20 second-half points by the Lopes is the lowest scoring output in a half by the Lopes since 2022, as well.

Blue Raider Notes
With its upcoming matchup against Tennessee on November 12, MTSU has its' first chance to pick up at least one win against a power 4 conference opponent for the fifth season in a row.
Including tonight's win, MTSU has won its' home opener four consecutive times.

Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"We knew sort of what to expect based on what we saw when we played them last year. We didn't play well, but they can cause you not to play well based on how they play defense. They are aggressive and have great foot speed. When we were down early, we started to execute our offense. We really started attacking the basket. Once we got Ta'mia (Scott) going, it was over. (Scott) found (Jalynn) Gregory and (Anastasiia) Boldyreva open on some good passes in transition and played tough perimeter defense. Courtney (Blakely) and Jalynn (Gregory) were playing good defense on the perimeter, early, and it made a big difference once we got Ta'mia (Scott) going out there."

Player's Perspective: Ta'mia Scott
"After the game, the coaches said that we looked like an NCAA Tournament team out there. That's what we want to hear. At the start of the game, they knew our weaknesses from last year. We did a lot of scouting from that game (last year) to see how they guarded us. Our practice players really helped us prepare for tonight and how they defended us. Our aggression had us out of whack to start the game, but once we hit them back with some aggression on our end, we had the advantage."

Up Next
Middle Tennessee will travel to Knoxville this upcoming Tuesday night for another highly anticipated matchup with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CDT and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and WGNS radio.

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