MURFREESBORO, Tenn.—With a chance to make history on a Saturday afternoon in one of the most historic buildings in college basketball, Middle Tennessee (10-5, 2-0 CUSA) didn't miss a beat as it defeated last year's Conference USA runner up Liberty (8-5, 1-1 CUSA) to win a record 31^st straight game in conference play. The Blue Raiders benefited from perhaps two of the most influential players that have been part of this 31-game run in Ta'mia Scott and Jalynn Gregory. Scott had 23 points while Gregory scored a season-high 26 points, which is also the most a Blue Raider has scored all year.

Middle Tennessee's stifling defense set the tone for the Blue Raiders early, as they jumped out to a 16-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Liberty came out of the gates shooting just 2-for-15 and the Blue Raiders forced them to turn it over five times. MTSU was also outrebounding Liberty 15 to 10 to open the game, led by post players Elina Arike and Anastasiia Boldyreva, who had five and four boards, respectively for the Blue Raiders.

Things began to click much better on the offensive end for the Blue Raiders in the second quarter as they took a 33-17 lead into the locker room. After missing much of the last game due to foul trouble, Ta'mia Scott got back to her usual self as Middle Tennessee's top scorer, leading all players on the floor with 14 points in the first half. Jalynn Gregory heated back up from beyond the arc, finishing the first half 3-for-4 from long range to give her nine points. Post player Bella Smuda was the leading scorer for Liberty, as the senior notched five first-half points to go with two rebounds and three blocked shots.

Both teams came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders, as both the Flames and Blue Raiders each had their highest scoring quarter of the game in the third quarter, though Middle Tennessee still found itself with a comfortable 60-29 lead heading into the final quarter of the night. MTSU was able to get to the free throw line often in the third quarter, sinking seven-of-nine total free throws to help grow the lead. Scott and Gregory continued to lead the Blue Raiders in scoring, with each player finishing the quarter at 21 points to that point in the game. Anastasiia Boldyreva found herself on double-double watch once again as the Moscow native had eight points and eight rebounds heading into the game's final quarter.

While Gregory and Scott took the game over for the Blue Raiders, there were plenty of other notable performances to help Middle Tennessee to a dominant win over one of the other teams favored to contend for this year's conference title. Anastasiia Boldyreva finished the game with eight points and nine rebounds. Point guard Courtney Blakely finished with eight points, two rebounds and two assists and Elina Arike was active on the boards for MTSU, finishing with nine rebounds. Aside from her season-high in points, Jalynn Gregory dished out three assists while Ta'mia Scott grabbed eight rebounds. Liberty failed to have a single player register in double figures in scoring. Bella Smuda led the Flames with seven points and had four rebounds and four blocks.

By the Numbers
31: Today's win over Liberty gives the Blue Raiders a record 31 straight victories in CUSA play.
30: Middle Tennessee has now won an even 30 straight home games against Conference opponents.
26: Season high in points for guard Jalynn Gregory. Gregory also tied her season-high with six three-point baskets.
5- Games this season in which junior wing Ta'mia Scott has scored at least 20 points.

Blue Raider Notes
Following today's contest, Middle Tennessee has now won an impressive 48 out of its' last 50 games at home. Dating back over the past three seasons, the only Blue Raider losses came against Seton Hall in the WNIT semifinals back in the 2022-23 season and one last season against Princeton.

Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell:
"I was very pleased with our basketball team," Insell said. "I thought we came out and played good defense early. (Liberty) shoots well from the perimeter and has a good inside game and is well coached. We were playing for the people that came before this team tonight. When you look in the record book, now, you won't see Rice. You'll see Middle Tennessee State University. This was for the players that came in the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's. Jalynn Gregory is a winner, Elina Arike had nine rebounds today, (Boldyreva) had nine rebounds. Ta'mia Scott carried us early, they couldn't stop her. I'm just extremely proud of our team."

Player's Perspective: Senior guard Jalynn Gregory
"It's a lot of fun when you're pulling for your teammates and showing energy for each other," Gregory said. "We just tried to take a deep breath and not put pressure on ourselves and just play together for our team. We've put a heavy emphasis on defense and communication on defense. When I saw (Liberty) going underneath the screens, I knew I just needed to shoot. It was fun. I think from an energy standpoint, we came out with a bang. We had to focus on our energy, and we carried it into the second half."

Up Next
Middle Tennessee's first Conference USA road test comes against Kennesaw State this coming Thursday at 6:00 p.m. CDT. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+ as well as heard on WGNS radio.