MTSU women’s basketball (17-15, 11-7 CUSA) got off to a hot start against St. Bonaventure University in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, going up 11-0 over the first four minutes of play.
The Bonnies tied the game with six minutes left in the first half at 20, with back-to-back three pointers to help cut the deficit.
“I was sitting there last night when we were up 11 to start the game and then next thing I know I’m thinking ‘okay, we’re going to get another game, so this is not going to be it. We are going to be good,’” future head coach Matt Insell said the day after at his introductory press conference. “Then it goes to 20-20 and I thought ‘oh no, we can’t go out this way because he’ll [Rick Insell] never forgive me.’”
Sophomore guard Savannah Davis stepped up for the Lady Raiders off the bench, scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four three-pointers.
Davis struggled at times throughout the regular season with shots falling. In February, she had two games with multiple made baskets, against Florida International University and the University of Delaware.
“We inserted Savannah in … and Savannah just took the game over,” head coach Rick Insell said.
The biggest three of the game came at the end of the third quarter, with MTSU up 51-43 in a timeout and 11 seconds on the clock.
Matt Insell led the timeout, drawing up a play to find Davis open, who knocked down the three at the buzzer.
“We never have ran that play,” Rick Insell said. “Matt drew that play up and they ran it to perfection … I didn’t even know what he was drawing up. He was drawing it up so fast, and he changed it and he went back to something else, and I asked them all ‘You know what he’s doing? They all said, yeah, yeah.’”
The performance carried the Lady Raiders forward as fellow guard Alayna Contreras had a slow night, scoring only 12 points. In the team’s previous three games, Contreras averaged 25. 6 points per game.
Davis received advice from Lady Raider supporter and high school coach Kyle Turnham before the WNIT. Turnham, Warren County High School girls’ basketball coach, has been a consistent presence at the Lady Raiders’ open practice.
When the shots aren’t falling, the only option to do is keep shooting, and that is what Kyle Turnham said when he came to practice this past week, Davis said.
“Well, let’s don’t give Kyle too much credit,” Rick Insell jokingly said. “He’s just a little old high school coach, but no, we don’t have a problem who gets credit in this program … if you give us something that’ll work and it works, we’ll give you the credit.”
The shots need to be carried over as the MTSU gets set to face off with Cleveland State University (25-9, 13-7 Horizon League). The lone common opponent for both teams was St. Bonaventure, which Cleveland State defeated, 75-71.
Izabella Zingaro and Colbi Maples lead the Vikings on offense, scoring 17.3 and 15.7 points per game, respectively. In Cleveland State’s first WNIT matchup against Monmouth University, Zingaro and Maples combined for 62 points.
The Lady Raiders and Vikings tip off tonight at 6:30 p.m. CDT inside the Murphy Center for a spot in the WNIT Great 8 round.
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