HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Middle Tennessee women's basketball (25-7) continued its winning ways in Propst Arena on Wednesday, taking down Kennesaw State (13-18) in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Championship by a score of 73-46.

The Blue Raider defense was true to form in the first quarter, holding the Owls to 1-of-7 from 3-point range in the opening frame. Anastasiia Boldyreva broke the seal two minutes into the game with a 3-pointer, and after an and-1 play by the Blue Raider center and a jumper by Elina Arike, MTSU led 8-5 at the first media timeout. Arike followed up with another triple, and the Blue Raiders led 17-8 after 10 minutes.

Arike's two 3-pointers in the first quarter marked the second time this season she's had multiple threes in a game (two on Jan. 11 vs. Jacksonville State).

The second quarter was completely one-sided in favor of the two-time defending CUSA tournament champions. MTSU outscored the Owls 24-0 in the second quarter. It's the first time the Blue Raiders have held an opponent scoreless through an entire quarter.

At the half, Boldyreva had twice as many points (16) as the entire Owls team, Arike followed with 11, and Ta'Mia Scott had pulled even with KSU with eight.

The Owls woke up from 3-point range in the third quarter, but so did Jalynn Gregory. Kennesaw State was 5-for-9 in the quarter from deep, while Gregory was 2-for-3. Both KSU and MTSU scored 20 points in the third frame.

11 Blue Raiders saw minutes in the fourth quarter as MTSU secured the 73-46 win.

Boldyreva's 29 points are a new season high. Scott and Arike both finished with 13, and Gregory added 11. Courtney Blakely's presence was also felt in the form of six rebounds, six assists and four steals.

By the Numbers
1,500 - With her second basket of the day, Anastasiia Boldyreva eclipsed 1,500 career points in her collegiate career.
1,000 - Ta'Mia Scott also reached a career scoring milestone, notching her 1,000th collegiate point in the second quarter.
0 - The MTSU defense allowed zero points in the second quarter. It's the first time the Blue Raiders have held an opponent scoreless through an entire quarter.
7 - The Blue Raiders held KSU to just seven offensive rebounds, tying a season-low for MTSU opponents (Feb. 20 vs. Louisiana Tech).

Blue Raider Notes
Jalynn Gregory is now 34-for-36 from the free throw line in CUSA tournament games in her career (2-for-2 today).

Head Coach Rick Insell:
"I don't think that game was indicative of Kennesaw State. We jumped out early, made some shots, turned our offense, got patient and executed. They began to rush some shots, and next thing you know, it got away from them. They've got a good team, they've had a good year, they were well-coached, and yesterday I thought they had a really good game plan. I worried about them all last night and this morning, but when I got on the bus to come to the game, I could tell the intensity and the focus that our girls had, that we were going to be OK."

Fifth year forward Elina Arike:
"I don't think it started today. I think it's something that honestly, we've been working on the whole year. Especially this week, our coaches have preached the fact that I've been a good tournament player, and I've got to find that here. I feel like I have confidence going into the game, and I feel like we took some good shots today."

Up Next
Middle Tennessee advances to the semifinals of the Conference USA Championship, which will be played on Friday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The Blue Raiders will take on the winner of 3-seed Western Kentucky vs. 6-seed FIU, a game that will be played Thursday afternoon.