By Rickey Fuquay, Jr.//Contributing Writer
Middle Tennessee (12-5, 6-1) used a dominating first half performance en route to an 82-52 win over UNC-Charlotte.
It was a rocky start in the beginning at Halton Arena, as the Lady 49ers (7-12, 3-4) got off to a 14-7 run to start the game. The Blue Raiders, however, busted it wide open with a trio of scoring runs to take control of the game 38-20 with 3:45 left in the first half. They would eventually go on a 9-3 run to take a 47-23 lead at the half.
The Blue Raiders dominated the second half as well. They would go on a 10-4 run to extend their lead to 63-37 with 11:08 left in the second half. The Lady 49ers did not come within 10 points as the Blue Raiders would stretch their lead to as many as 33 points with 34 seconds left in the second half en route to an 82-52 win.
Senior Cheyenne Parker played a crucial part in the big win today, scoring a season-high 30 points to lead all scorers. Parker shot 73 percent from the field despite starting the game 11-of-11, adding nine rebounds and four blocks.
Also in double figures was sophomore Olivia Jones, who recorded her eighth double-double of the season. She tallied 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the field, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. Jones also pulled down 10 rebounds.
It was a fantastic performance inside as the Blue Raiders scored 48 points in the paint. They also scored 33 points off 40 turnovers. MTSU also stuffed the stat sheet with seven blocked shots, five of those blocked shots credited to Parker.
For the Lady 49ers, Kira Gordon tallied a double-double this morning, as she scored 19 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
The Blue Raiders will look to continue their winning streak as they return home for a matchup against Texas-San Antonio on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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