Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
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MTSU completes third largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history to get past Louisville
3/22/2024 4:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Lady Raiders trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half
BATON ROUGE, La. — Middle Tennessee women's basketball took it on the chin early, but showed resiliency in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday afternoon, coming from 18-points down to defeat Louisville 71-69 in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The win is MTSU's first in the tournament since 2007.
The No. 11 seed Lady Raiders (30-4) were punched in the mouth early, with the No. 6 Cardinals (24-10) dominating the first quarter 28-12, including a 12-0 run that was finally broken up when Jalynn Gregory was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws. Louisville shot 11-for-19 in the quarter, while holding MTSU to just 4-for-14 from the field. A 7-0 run to end the second quarter while holding the Cardinals scoreless for the final 4:18 of the first half, however, cut the deficit to 38-27.
It was MTSU, however, that would reverse fortunes in the third quarter, doubling up Louisville 24-12 in the frame to take the lead with 10 minutes to play. Savannah Wheeler, after only having two points at halftime, scored 14 points in the third quarter on 4-for-5 shooting, including 3-for-3 beyond the arc. Louisville and MTSU traded baskets the whole fourth quarter, though the Lady Raiders were able to build a lead as large as eight with 2:07 to play. Missed free throws and some tough shots gave the Cardinals a chance late, but the three-quarter court heave clanged off the iron to clinch the win for MTSU.
Gregory led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the floor including a 4-for-7 day from beyond the arc, while also leading the Lady Raiders with four assists. She was also MTSU's best shooter at the free throw line down the stretch, making 10-of-11 attempts. Wheeler finished the afternoon with 22 points, 20 of which came in the second half. Anastasiia Boldyreva posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, also blocking three Cardinal shot attempts.
By the Numbers
18: Point-lead for Louisville (38-20 at the 4:18 mark of the second quarter), the Cardinals largest of the game. MTSU overcoming that margin is tied for the third-largest comeback in NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, done most recently in the first round of the 2023 Tournament by Baylor, who came back from a 22-4 deficit against Alabama in the first round.
4-for-4: MTSU's third quarter clip from beyond the arc. The Lady Raiders were powered by three of those triples coming from Savannah Wheeler. Jalynn Gregory hit the other three-pointer.
13: Points off turnovers for MTSU, who turned the Cardinals over 15 times on Friday.
Lady Raider Notes
• Middle Tennessee picks up its first NCAA Tournament win since 2007, the second under Head Coach Rick Insell.
• The Lady Raiders gave the Cardinals their first first-round loss under Head Coach Jeff Walz who had previously taken them to five consecutive Elite Eights. This marked MTSU's second consecutive win over Louisville.
• Middle Tennessee erased an 18-point first half deficit to beat six-seed Louisville, tying the third largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history.
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"Someone yesterday asked me about our slow starts and I said 'I hope we didn't have one.' Well, *laughs* we had one. I thought (Louisville) came out ready to play. I knew that Jeff (Walz) was going to have them ready. I knew that he was going to use the last time they played us as motivation. And we tried to get that across to our players. We had some defensive assignments missed and they made some great shots, took us to the basket. The ball was falling for them.
"We hung in there and got back at halftime, I think we were down 11 at halftime and we talked about cutting that in half by the end of the third quarter. I think we ended up taking the lead by the end of the third quarter. That put us right in it. Basically, it just came down to guts and willpower from both teams. Who was going to will themselves to victory? I'm awful proud of our young ladies."
Player's Perspective – Jalynn Gregory
On the message in the huddle after the end of the first quarter, MTSU trailing by 16
"Honestly, it's a blur. If I had to guess, it was probably that we weren't going to lose the game. We had to step up and take control, just like we have this past year. It was probably just telling us to lock in."
Up Next
MTSU moves onto the second round to face the winner of this afternoon's game between No. 3 seed LSU and No. 14 seed Rice. The time of the second round game on Sunday is to be determined. Stay tuned to Middle Tennessee Women's Basketball on social media for updates.
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