Photo by Tyler Lamb / MTSU Sidelines
Story by Austin Laymon / Contributing Writer
It was Senior Night at Murphy Center as the Middle Tennessee State Lady Raiders hosted the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday and claimed a dominant victory with a final score of 74-48.
The Lady Raiders started things off with some high energy offense, attacking the offensive glass at every opportunity.
Both defenses started off strong, allowing only 9 points halfway through the first quarter.
The Lady Raiders’ high energy style paid off early, as a pair of lay ups put them up 12-4 at the end of the first.
MTSU began to build upon the lead in the second, upping their score to 25 while holding the Owls to 12 points halfway through the second quarter.
As the clock was winding down in the first half, the threes began to rain down for the Lady Raiders, as they hit five straight from beyond the arc to extend their lead to 27 going into halftime.
“We’ve got some young ladies that have got some great skill sets, and we need to quit hiding them and go use them, let them shine,” said head coach Rick Insell.
Coming out of the break, Taylor Sutton had the hot hand in the first half, hitting three of five from downtown.
“I think we were just all in. We just really wanted to get this win for the seniors,” said Sutton on her offensive flurry near the end of the first half.
The Lady Raiders did not pull any punches in the third quarter. Despite an offensive resurgence from the Owls, the quarter ended as the Lady Raiders led 57-37.
MTSU continued to pull away in the fourth quarter, ending the night on a layup from LaSonja Edwards to bring their final lead to 26.
The Senior Night ceremonies followed Saturday’s game as the Blue Raider crowd honored the Lady Raiders’ senior athletes.
“Every single second I try to take in because I know I won’t ever get it back,” said Alex Johnson.
The Lady Raiders will travel to Western Kentucky on Thursday to play their final game of the regular season. This win over the Owls builds their momentum and asserts their position near the top of the conference. Tip-off against the Hilltoppers is set for Thursday at 6 p.m.
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