Friday, November 22, 2024
The Weekly: Get top MTSU stories in your inbox by subscribing to The Weekly, a Sidelines newsletter delivered each Wednesday.

MTSU Advances to Semis With Rout of Louisiana Tech

Date:

Share post:

By Rickey Fuquay, Jr.//Contributing Writer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Middle Tennessee (21-8) used a dominating second half to hammer Louisiana Tech 77-58 at Bartow Arena, advancing to the semifinal round of the Conference USA tournament.

It was a tight game the whole first half, as neither team led by double digits. MTSU jumped out to a 13-6 advantage, but the Lady Techsters responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to one with 11:59 left in the opening frame.

MTSU answered with a 9-4 run, but the Lady Techsters responded with a 9-4 run of their own to trim the deficit to one again with 3:47 left in the first half. The Blue Raiders ended the half on a 10-6 run and took a 36-31 into the half.

The Blue Raiders got no help from the conference’s leading scorer Olivia Jones in the first half, as she sat on the bench for much of the half after picking up three fouls in the first seven minutes of the game.

The second half was completely dominated by the Blue Raiders. They consistently extended their lead throughout the final twenty minutes, going up by as much as 20, 69-49, with 3:53 left in the second half.

MTSU breezed through the final three minutes, cruising to a 77-58 victory for their third-consecutive win overall, and second-straight appearance in the C-USA tournament semifinals.

It was a career day for sophomore guard Ty Petty. She led the way with a career-high 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting.  The sophomore also recorded four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Also in double figures for the Blue Raiders was junior guard Brea Edwards, who tallied 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Junior forward TiAnna Porter, who also added 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Blue Raiders.

For the Lady Techsters (16-15), Chrisstasia Walter led the way with 20 points. She also had seven rebounds, six assists and three steals in the game.. Whitney Frazier reached double-double status for La. Tech, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

It was a fantastic performance inside as the Blue Raiders recorded 39 rebounds, scored 44 points in the pain and blocked four shots, three of those attributed to Porter.

The Blue Raiders were aggressive on defense, turning over the Lady Techsters 18 times, and they turned those 18 miscues into 21 points.

The second-seeded Blue Raiders now advance to play third-seeded Southern Miss for a spot in the C-USA Championship Game.

MTSU was swept by the Golden Eagles in the regular season. The Golden Eagles rallied to win the first meeting 77-75 in overtime. The second meeting produced a similar result, as Southern Miss rallied for a 70-65 win in overtime.

Tip-off is set for 10 a.m. CST Friday. The game can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.

For more Blue Raider sports, follow us at www.mtsusidelines.com, on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter at @Sidelines_Sport.

To contact sports editor Connor Grott, email sports@mtsusidelines.com or follow him on Twitter at @Connor_Grott.

Sidelines
Sidelineshttps://mtsusidelines.com
MTSU's digital daily news source

Related articles

MTSU club hockey earns No. 5 spot in latest rankings

Feature Photo by Caitlyn Hajek Story by Ephraim Rodenbach MTSU club hockey made history this past week by earning its highest ranking in team history. After a series sweep of in-state rival Vanderbilt that included an 8-0 shutout, the Blue Raiders climbed to the No. 5 spot in Division II club hockey rankings.

MTSU volleyball senior day photo gallery

Jaeda Jackson and Caitlyn Hajek are photographers for MTSU Sidelines  To contact the Sports and Assistant Sports Editor, email...

Lady Raiders defeat Tennessee Tech 69-52

Feature Photo by Paige Mast Story by Brett Walker Middle Tennessee State women’s basketball (4-1) defeated Tennessee Tech (4-1) by a score of 69-52 at home on Tuesday night.

A brief history of MTSU club hockey

Feature photo by Ephraim Rodenbach Story by Ephraim Rodenbach When it comes to the local sports scene at MTSU, the...