Featured photo by Erin Douglas
Story by Calvin White
If you want more news like this, sign up for the Sidelines weekly newsletter here! Find it in your inbox every Thursday afternoon.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala- Middle Tennessee women’s basketball (27-4, 16-0 CUSA) needed every basket it could get in a back-and-forth battle with Louisiana Tech (14-19, 7-9 CUSA) that ended in a 62-56 MTSU win to book a trip the Conference USA championship game.
The Lady Raiders started the game cold from the field but their defense held Louisiana Tech to just 6-of-15 shooting to end the first quarter in a 17-17 tie.
Jalynn Gregory picked up her third foul with 4:20 to play in the second quarter with MTSU trailing 25-23. Savannah Wheeler and Anastasiia Boldyreva kept MTSU afloat to close the half and only trailed 31-30 at the halftime break.
Gregory played every minute of the second half in foul trouble along with Anastasiia Boldyreva who picked up her fourth foul with 6:26 to play in the fourth quarter. Despite only scoring four points, Gregory made multiple timely defensive plays to give MTSU momentum.
“They (MTSU) have four starters that are in the top four in minutes played per game in conference and they don’t foul out,” Louisiana Tech head coach Brooke Stoehr said. “I guess it’s on us to attack them and force them to call a foul but credit to them. They were smart. They were experienced and know how to play without fouling.”
With 5:25 to play in the fourth quarter, Gregory raced back on defense after Ta’Mia Scott missed a 3-pointer and stole the ball, then found Savannah Wheeler for a layup to put MTSU ahead 53-46 with just over five minutes to play.
Wheeler and Boldyreva became the 35th and 36th members of the MTSU 1,000-point club. Wheeler finished with 22 points on 6-of-15 shooting and Boldyreva constructed a monster double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Boldyreva also became the program’s all-time and single-season blocks leader in the win.
Ta’Mia Scott made multiple timely defensive plays to steady the Lady Raiders when their shots weren’t falling on offense. Scott finished with 13 points, six rebounds, three steals and one block.
“I think Ta’Mia played probably her best defensive game she’s played this year,” MTSU head coach Rick Insell said. “I was really, really pleased with Ta’Mia’s defense. She made every catch hard. Everybody that she had to guard had to go toward the center-line to catch the ball. Very pleased with Ta’Mia.”
Louisiana Tech’s premier post player, Anna Larr Roberson, picked up her third foul at the 9:17 mark of the third quarter. When Roberson subbed out of the game, Boldyreva was able to score half of her points in the third quarter against Louisiana Tech’s smaller and less physical post players.
“She (Roberson) puts pressure on them (MTSU) defensively, especially Boldyreva,” Stoehr said. “So when she (Roberson) comes out, we don’t have our leading scorer on the interior that’s attacking and making them (MTSU) foul. I thought it hurt us more offensively because you have to force them to guard and rotate.”
The Lady Raiders iced the game late with defensive stops and made free throws. After winning handily in every game in conference play except the conference opener against the Lady Techsters, MTSU showed it could still win close games.
MTSU women’s basketball will play for its third Conference USA Tournament championshipin four years tomorrow against either New Mexico State or Liberty. With a win, the Lady Raiders will cement their place as one of the most dominant teams in Conference USA history and punch their ticket back to the NCAA Tournament.
Calvin White is the sports editor for MTSU Sidelines. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
