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Story by Calvin White
MURFREESBORO, Tenn- Middle Tennessee women’s basketball started fast and never let up as it cruised to a 67-47 season-opening win over Memphis at the Murphy Center.
Anastasiia Boldyreva asserted her presence early by scoring 15 of her 23 points in the first quarter. Boldyreva had to make quick decisions when she had the ball based on the way Memphis was defending her. If the double team did not come, Boldyreva knew she had to attack the basket.
“They were not doubling at all,” Boldyreva said. “So I just had to go out there every time and score one-on-one.”
Boldyreva recorded her second career double-double with 12 rebounds to go along with her 23 points in 38 minutes played.
MTSU held the Tigers to 19-for-71 from the field and scored 25 points off of 20 Memphis turnovers. After the first two exhibition games, head coach Rick Insell thought his team could do a better job of getting hands in the passing lanes. The Lady Raiders tallied 10 steals that gave MTSU a lot of extra possessions.
Ta’Mia Scott only scored eight points but pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked one shot. Her defense is the reason Insell thinks she might have had the best game out of anyone on the team.
“I thought Ta’Mia Scott might have had the best overall game tonight, to be honest with you,” Insell said. “She didn’t get a lot of points but if she hits a layup two different times, she has a double-double. That’s pretty good for a sophomore.”
MTSU didn’t have the best shooting night either, shooting 20-for-50 from the field. But the Lady Raiders knew that when shots weren’t falling, they had to attack the basket. MTSU finished the night 24-for-27 from the free-throw line.
If the MTSU offense can find different ways to win games, along with its defense, Insell’s squad will continue to be a force this season.
“We just prepare every day,” guard Savannah Wheeler said. “We’ve been going over their plays since the beginning of the week, really just kind of settling in and preparing ourselves, our minds, mentally and physically. Every game matters. Now we’ve got this one over with, now we’ve got to move on to the next.”
Calvin White is the sports editor at MTSU Sidelines. If you have information for a story, you can email him at wcw3f@mtmail.mtsu.edu. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com. Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @mtsusidelines, or on X @MTSUSidelines.
