MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – A long period of anticipation drew to a close tonight in the Murphy Center as Middle Tennessee put a cap on both a productive offseason and preseason, defeating Lindsey Wilson 71-32.

The first half was a defensive struggle, as both teams combined for just 16 field goals following a 14-2 run by Middle Tennessee to open the game.

MTSU came out of the locker room and began scoring at a much greater clip, shooting 8-of-13 in the third quarter which transitioned into a 23-point fourth quarter to close it out.

Anastasiia Boldyreva paced Middle Tennessee on both ends of the floor, scoring 18 points and pulling down 19 rebounds with four blocked shots. Ta'mia Scott led Middle Tennessee in scoring with 20 points.

As a team, Middle Tennessee kept Lindsey Wilson in check by holding them to 11-of-64 shooting on the night and forced 23 turnovers.

By the Numbers
4: Players that finished in double figures in scoring for Middle Tennessee.
9: The number of blocks by Middle Tennessee.

Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"We didn't do a great job passing in the first half. I thought we did a better job executing in the second half and got more into what we do and how we play. We forced them into taking some bad shots. We want to keep getting the ball down low to Anastasia (Boldyreva) and Elina (Arike) and force (opponents) to get into foul trouble. I thought we played with more comfort in the second half."

Blue Raider Notes
Heading into the regular season, the Blue Raiders are receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Up Next
Middle Tennessee starts the regular season on the road at Northern Kentucky on November 4th. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CDT. The game will be broadcast live on both ESPN+ and WGNS radio.