MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle
Tennessee State University Lady Raiders basketball team is hopeful despite a
loss against Virginia in their season opener on Nov. 13 at the Murphy Center.
A late comeback effort in the fourth
quarter left the Lady Raiders short as the Virginia Cavaliers scored a 70 – 66
win. Conference USA Player of the Year
Olivia Jones was held to just four points, while Virginia’s Lauren Moses led the
team with 13 points. The Cavaliers defensive attack on Jones proved to be
successful as she was limited to just one shot in the first quarter, three by
halftime, and six in the second half.
Virginia had five players with double
digits, and its bench outscored MTSU 28-12. UVA outrebounded MTSU 42-34 and had
19 second-chance points to score a major win on their schedule this year.
The Lady Raiders performance in the first
half was what hurt the most. The team was 2-of-10 from the free-throw line in
the first quarter alone. Jones’s bucket late in the first quarter stopped a
0-of-7 free-throw shooting percentage. What
seemed like a slow start turned into a slow first half.
“The first half killed us, but I feel
good about the upcoming season even with our loss Friday Night,” said sophomore
guard Abbey Sissom
Senior Brea Edwards almost helped lead
the Lady Raiders to a victory with her career-high of 30 points. Edwards was 3-of-5 from the 3-point line in
just a 3:26 span during the fourth quarter, cutting Virginia’s 11-point lead to
a one-point lead. Unfortunately, this one-point margin was as close as MTSU got
to a victory.
Abbey Sissom also contributed with eight
points and three rebounds.
“I think this team definitely has a
chance to win our conference and get a bid into the NCAA tournament for sure,”
said Sissom. “Every girl on our team has worked hard since April of last year
to better our team and put us where we want to be at the end of the season.”
With spirits high, the Lady Raiders will
face Central Michigan along with South Eastern Conference powerhouse Ole Miss
next week. They then take on Alabama,
Nevada and Austin Peay later this month. For more information about the
upcoming Lady Raider’s season, go to www.goblueraiders.com.
###
No comments:
Post a Comment