Story by Darius Horton / Contributing Writer
Photo by Tyler Lamb / Sports Editor
The Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders (15-8, 10-2) traveled to Norfolk, Virginia to take on the Lady Monarchs of Old Dominion (12-11, 7-5) tonight. Sophomore forward Alex Johnson recorded a double-double of 28 points and ten rebounds to lead MTSU over the Lady Monarchs by a score of 80-63.
Ty Petty added 24 points and six assists, with Gabby Lyon posting a double-double of her own with 11 points and ten boards.
They started to build momentum early with a 10-3 run at the 3:18 mark, with Ty Petty recording five of their points. Petty scored 11 total points in the first quarter to give the Lady Raiders a 21-12 lead.
Early in the second quarter, the Lady Raiders went on a 10-4 run to stretch the lead to 11. Middle Tennessee battled back and forward with Old Dominion and took a 41-30 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Monarchs went a 12-0 run early in the third quarter, giving them the lead by one at 42-41 . The Lady Raiders were not overwhelmed and scored the final seven points of the quarter, ending with a big shot from Abby Sissom as she drilled a shot from long range at the buzzer to push their lead to eight.
The fourth quarter was dominated by Alex Johnson, as she scored nine of her 28 points to help power the Lady Raiders to the win. One of her baskets finished a 10-0 MTSU run at the 6:58 mark of the quarter, giving them a 77-58 lead. The Lady Raiders played phenomenal defense in the fourth quarter, allowing only eight points and would go up by as much as 20 before ending with an 80-63 victory.
The Lady Raiders will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.
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To contact Sports Editor Tyler Lamb (@Tlamb35), email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
