Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
28-4,16-0CUSA
LA Tech
14-19,7-9CUSA
Lady Raiders grind out win over Lady Techsters to make CUSA Championship Game
3/15/2024 10:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wheeler, Boldyreva, both enter Lady Raider 1,000-point club
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Middle Tennessee women's basketball battled in the CUSA Tournament on Friday night, winning a game of runs against Louisiana Tech 62-56 to advance to the Conference USA title game in Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center.
The Lady Raiders (28-4) trailed at halftime for the first time in the year 2024 and the first time this season since they played at Grand Canyon on December 30, 2023. The Lady Techsters (14-19) got in transition, scoring four fast break points and 10 points off 11 MTSU turnovers to hold a 31-30 lead the break.
MTSU continued to run their offense, however, going on a 9-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead in the fourth quarter before LA Tech wrested back with a 6-0 run of their own. The Lady Raiders would grab the momentum before the quarter break with a 6-0 run to end the frame, capped off by a buzzer beater put back from Anastasiia Boldyreva. The run extended to 12-0 with a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter. The Lady Techsters were able to get within four in the fourth, but no closer, as methodical clock management iced the game late at the free throw line, where MTSU was 17-for-19 as a team on Friday.
Savannah Wheeler led all scorers with 22 points, becoming the 35th Lady Raider to score 1,000 points in a MTSU uniform with her jumper-and-1 in the second quarter. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists. Boldyreva was the 36th member of the Lady Raider 1,000-point club after her buzzer beater in the third quarter. She finished Friday with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Ta'Mia Scott was the other Lady Raider to score in double figures, scoring 13 points with a team-high three steals.
By the Numbers
193: Career blocks for Anastasiia Boldyreva, who passed Kay Wilbanks' 191 career blocks to take the lead in the MTSU record book. Boldyreva finished Friday's game with four blocks on the night.
17-for-19: MTSU's night at the charity stripe, an 89.5 percent clip for the team at the free throw line.
22-14: Advantage in points in the paint for MTSU, who denied LA Tech both post touches and clean driving lanes all night.
Lady Raider Notes
• With 22 points on the night, Wheeler eclipsed 1,000 career points in a Lady Raider uniform – just the 35th Lady Raider to do so.
• With 16 points on the night, Boldyreva became the 36th Lady Raider to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• With four blocks on the night, Boldyreva surpasses Kay Wilbanks to become the all-time blocks leader at Middle Tennessee with 193. She also surpassed former Lady Raider and WNBA All-Star Cheyenne Parker for the single-season blocks record with 93.
• For the fourth time in five seasons, the Lady Raiders have advanced to the CUSA championship game.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"You've got to tip your hat off to Louisiana Tech. They played tough, they played hard, they had a great game plan. They were very well coached tonight. Well, they've been very coached for years since Brooke has been down there. Tonight, they had a great game plan and they executed. They had a lot of lateral quickness on the perimeter.
"I tell you what our guys did, they said 'hey, we're going after them.' And they went to work. We hit the shots we wanted to hit. We did enough to win the game. And our kids were very very coachable all night long.
Player's Perspective – Savannah Wheeler
"In a game like this, you always want to understand time and score. At that time, we had the lead up, I think it was maybe four or five (points). So, you really want to be smart, be careful in what you're doing. Ultimately, just reading what it's giving me. If they're hard hedging me, try to get by them. And if the backside guard is helping in on post on Nas' roll, then the skip is going to open."
Up Next
The Lady Raiders will go for the CUSA Tournament title on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and on 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).
