EL PASO, Texas — Middle Tennessee's women's basketball team secured a decisive 64-42 victory over UTEP on Saturday at the Don Haskins Center, improving its Conference USA record to 8-1 and moving into a tie for first place with Liberty.
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EL PASO, Texas — Middle Tennessee's women's basketball team secured a decisive 64-42 victory over UTEP on Saturday at the Don Haskins Center, improving its Conference USA record to 8-1 and moving into a tie for first place with Liberty.
The Blue Raiders (16-6, 8-1 C-USA) struggled early, trailing 17-11 after the first quarter. However, they responded with a dominant 13-0 run to open the second, fueled by Jalynn Gregory's hot shooting from beyond the arc. Gregory scored 12 points in the quarter, hitting four 3-pointers, and finished the first half with 14 points. Ta'Mia Scott contributed 11 points in the half and forced two turnovers that led to scores.
Middle Tennessee capitalized on UTEP's mistakes, forcing 12 first-half turnovers and converting them into 15 points. The Blue Raiders also secured five offensive rebounds, leading to five second-chance points, with Anastasiia Boldyreva and Elina Arike grabbing key boards. MTSU closed the half on a 20-7 run, taking a 31-24 lead into the locker room.
The Blue Raiders' defense took over in the second half, limiting UTEP's offensive success. MTSU recorded five steals and a block from Scott in the third quarter alone, forcing nine turnovers in the period. Defense and converting turnovers into points proved key in the win, as Middle Tennessee held UTEP under 50 points and controlled the tempo. The Blue Raiders' collective effort secured the 64-42 victory.
"Well, we started playing defense. I mean, we let their best player catch the ball, and she scored seven straight points—we can't do that. It was a very poor start. Then we missed some easy chip shots and weren't finding our people quickly enough or moving the basketball. Every offense we had worked, we were slow moving the ball. We've got to move the ball quicker.
"We've got to attack, and I thought we did a better job attacking in transition tonight. We missed some shooters in transition, though—not just one, but two or three. I think Jalynn missed somebody, Ta'Mia missed somebody. We've got to pick those shooters up quickly. That will put us in the 70s scoring.
"When you've got one shooter, you can be pretty successful against a zone. But when you've got five or six shooters, like we do all the way down to Gracie Dodgen, who can fill it up, that makes a difference. I'm pretty happy with the win."
Up Next for the Blue Raiders
The Raiders will head back to the 'Boro for a three game home stand. The first of which is against Jacksonville State Thursday, February 6th at 6:30 p.m.
