Middle Tennessee women’s basketball falls to archrivals Western Kentucky for first conference loss

The Middle Tennessee women’s basketball conference win streak ends with a road loss to Western Kentucky in the 100 Miles of Hate.

Jacob Burgess, Lead sports reporter • January 18, 2025

Paige Mast

MTSU head coach Rick Insell against Tennessee, 11-12-2024.

Middle Tennessee fell to rivals Western Kentucky in the 100 Miles of Hate series 58-63, for the Blue Raiders’ first conference loss in 33 games.

The Blue Raiders led into half with a nine-point lead, but a disastrous third quarter ended with Middle Tennessee 11 points down.

This marks the end of MTSU’s conference win streak that started two weeks ago with a win over Liberty.

Western Kentucky held three Middle Tennessee starters to a combined 10 points. Jalynn Gregory was held to one made three pointer, Courtney Blakely was held to five points and Elina Arike to two points.

The loss pokes a hole in the armor that MTSU women’s basketball held in Conference USA going back to the 2022-2023 season.

Middle Tennessee will next face Sam Houston back at home on Jan.23. The home edition of 100 Miles of Hate is set for Feb. 15.

To contact the editor, email [email protected].

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About the Contributors

Jacob Burgess, Lead sports reporter

I cover anything and everything when it comes to middle Tennessee sports. I'm majoring in sports media and work with multiple student media organizations. When outside of school, I like to cook for friends and family and bike around town.

Paige Mast, Multimedia editor

I'm the multimedia editor for Sidelines — an all-things photography and social media enthusiast. Whether I'm curating content for our social media pages or capturing moments through the lens, I love combining creativity and media strategy. When I’m not working, I’m reading or knitting over a cup of coffee, hanging out with my friends, or behind the camera at a game, doing what I love.