Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
30-5,16-0CUSA
LSU
30-5,13-3SEC
Women’s Basketball’s season ends in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
3/24/2024 6:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Second half rally, foul trouble too much to overcome after stellar first half
BATON ROUGE, La. — Middle Tennessee women's basketball fell in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, dropping the contest against Louisiana State 83-56.
The Lady Raiders (30-5) held the advantage at halftime, winning the second quarter 21-12 to take a 36-32 lead into the locker room at halftime against the Tigers (30-5). MTSU outrebounded LSU 25-18 in the game's first 20 minutes, holding one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country to just three offensive rebounds at the break.
Second half foul trouble, however, would help the Tigers get back into the game. MTSU was called for nine fouls in the third quarter, compared to just four for LSU, resulting in the Tigers getting 12 trips to the free throw line, converting nine of them to take a 59-49 lead. LSU also took advantage of seven Lady Raider turnovers in the frame, scoring 12 points in the quarter off those turnovers. With several Lady Raider starters fouled out, LSU continued to dominate the second half in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 points in the final frame to cruise to the win late.
Savannah Wheeler led MTSU with 21 points in her final game of a Lady Raider, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line while hauling in seven rebounds. Courtney Whitson led the way with 10 boards for MTSU in her final game in the Blue and White, tying Jada Grannum for the team lead in boards. Ta'Mia Scott was the only other Lady Raider to score in double figures, she had 15 points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.
By the Numbers
31-16: Fouls called on MTSU vs. Fouls called on LSU. This resulted in LSU shooting 37 free throws (going 26-for-37 at the line), compared to just nine for MTSU (going 6-for-9 at the charity stripe). The free throw advantage was 30-3 in the second half.
3: MTSU starters fouled out (Boldyreva, Whitson, Scott)
22: Points off turnovers for the Tigers, who turned MTSU over 17 times on Sunday. LSU only turned the ball over seven times, resulting in just four points for the Lady Raiders.
Lady Raider Notes
Savannah Wheeler and Courtney Whitson's careers come to a close: Wheeler tallied 2361 points, 552 rebounds and 464 assists. She goes down as the Conference USA all-time leader in career free throws with 656 and third in the league among all-time scorers. Whitson logged 1541 points and 1086 rebounds, one of just two Lady Raiders to eclipse 1,000 career points and rebounds. She holds the program record for three-point field goals (300), games played/started (156) and minutes played (5469).
Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"I've been doing this for about 48 years, and I can remember one or two games like this. It's hard to overcome 37 free throws to nine. That's my opening statement."
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