MTSU women’s basketball (3-5) got off to another slow start against the Belmont University Bruins (4-4), falling 71-65 at the final buzzer. 

The Lady Raiders trailed 19-9 after the first quarter, marking the fourth game in a row that they trailed after the first 10 minutes. In the previous three games, MTSU went 1-2 with losses to the University of Tennessee and Mississippi State, along with a comeback win against Providence.

“I’ve never had that problem,” head coach Rick Insell said of his team’s first quarter struggles. “So I don’t really know to avoid it, to be honest with you.”

Against the Bruins, Middle Tennessee’s offense relied around freshman Blair Baugus, who scored six of the team’s nine points in the first quarter. Baugus led the team with 21 points in the end.

The early mistakes cost the game and it was because the team did the opposite of what is worked on in practice, Insell said.

Belmont’s defense was able to shut down nearly every other Lady Raider in the first quarter as the rest of the team shot 1-7 from the floor.

Middle Tennessee picked up the pace from the second quarter onward, scoring at least 17 points in the game’s other three quarters.

Outside of the first quarter, the Lady Raiders played well, Insell said. Baugus was able to score in the team’s sets down on the block while Verhulst hit three three-pointers.

While the offense found its juice, MTSU’s defense could not slow down Belmont in the middle 20 minutes. In the fourth quarter, Middle Tennessee held Belmont to three points for six minutes.

MTSU tied the game for the first time in the final frame with 1:13 left with two free throws from Macie Phifer.

Belmont followed up Phifer’s clutch shot with some late heroics of its own, as Hilary Fuller hit a hook shot to take the lead and ice the game in favor of the Bruins at 67-65 with 21 seconds to play.

“I couldn’t believe that kid hit that last shot,” Insell said. “[The team] played pretty good defense, had it where we wanted, and she turns around, makes a left-handed shot that bobbles around up there and goes in.”

Insell continued to play around with the lineup as freshman guard Yu Han Lin played double digit minutes against Belmont, for the first time since the game against Rice University on Nov. 15.

Lin played as a point guard but struggled with turnovers at times, totaling three in 23 minutes. The Taiwan product scored 10 points in the loss.

Insell said that a leader still needs to step up for the Lady Raiders, and the sentiment is felt across the team’s roster as well.

“I mean, as a point guard, I should be doing it, no matter if I’m a freshman or not,” Kirston Verhulst said.

MTSU takes on another in-state opponent with the University of Memphis coming to the Murphy Center as the front half of a Middle Tennessee basketball double header on Dec. 7.