Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
22-4,12-0CUSA
Jax State
9-15,4-8CUSA
Lady Raiders show defensive reputation in rout of Jax State
2/21/2024 9:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Gamecocks managed just 11 points in the second half against MTSU on Wednesday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee women's basketball looked fearless in the second half on Wednesday, holding Jacksonville State to just five made field goals in the game's final 20 minutes to pull away to a 66-40 win in the Murphy Center.
The Lady Raiders (22-4, 12-0 CUSA) held the lead for most of the first half, but a late three-pointer off a steal for the Gamecocks (9-15, 4-8 CUSA) cut the lead to just two points, 31-29, at halftime. MTSU managed to make just two three-pointers in the game's first 20 minutes, while Jax State found the net five times on 11 tries from beyond the arc in the first half.
The second half, however, was all Lady Raiders, as MTSU held Jax State to just 11 points across the final 20 minutes of the game, with the Gamecocks shooting 5-for-29 (17.2 percent) in the second half, including an 0-for-11 half from beyond the arc. The Lady Raiders, meanwhile, were able to get the ball to Anastasiia Boldyreva in the paint off set plays, with Jax State choosing to guard MTSU's shooters more tightly rather than help off inside. Boldyreva went to work over the smaller Gamecock forwards (Jax State's tallest player was six inches shorter than the Moscow, Russia native), scoring 16 of her team-high 27 points in the second half.
Courtney Whitson was on triple-double watch late in the proceedings, scoring eight points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out a career-high seven assists on Wednesday. Savannah Wheeler was the next highest scorer behind Boldyreva, adding 16 points to the Lady Raiders' effort and grabbing a team-high three steals.
By the Numbers
21-11: Points of turnovers for MTSU and Jax State, respectively. Despite the Lady Raiders only turning the ball over one fewer time than the Gamecocks (16 vs. 17), they were able to covert those turnovers into more points.
4-for-7: MTSU's three-point shooting in the fourth quarter, including a 2-for-2 frame beyond the arc for Wheeler.
9: Steals for MTSU, their most in a Conference USA game this season.
Lady Raider Notes
• With only 40 points on the night, the Lady Raiders have now held three consecutive opponents to an average of 39.3 PPG.
• Boldyreva has thrived against the Gamecocks this season, totaling 54 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks in two meetings this season.
• Whitson logged a career-high seven assists on the night to go with eight points and eight rebounds.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"They're second in the conference in defense. So we knew coming in that they were going to bring a good defensive game plan, there were going to get on the boards and we knew we had to shoot the ball. When we shot threes, they were able get it and had run outs.
"Rick (Pietri) is a great coach. I've known him a long time. I've known him, good gracious, 30 years I guess. I played against him when he was in the Sun Belt Conference. He's a good coach, he does a good job, had his team prepared. My hats off to him. I'm real proud of our young ladies. They did what we had to do. If you look defensively, they had five points in the third quarter, six in the fourth. That tells you right there that we got down in our hips and we played defense and we rebounded the ball."
Player's Perspective – Anastasiia Boldyreva
"I adjusted the way I was supposed to. In the beginning, the called a couple of fouls on me, offensive fouls, so I had to play straight up and more, I would say, moving my feet more. The height helps a lot, because we can just lob over them."
Up Next
The Lady Raiders hit the road to take on rival Western Kentucky on Saturday in Bowling Green, Ky. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m., with the game broadcast on ESPNU and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
Follow the Lady Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTSUWBB), X (Formerly known as Twitter) (@MT_WBB) and Instagram (@mt_wbb).
