MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — If there was any recurring theme you could pick out of Middle Tennessee State's (9-5, 1-0 CUSA) 69-38 win over the FIU Panthers (4-8, 0-1 CUSA), it would be just a quick point and a smile at number one after a Blue Raider basket. Blue Raider senior point guard Courtney Blakely has been known throughout her career to excite the Murphy Center crowd with some dazzling reverse layups and clutch late-game shots. But tonight, it was her passing, defense and pure selflessness that led the Blue Raiders to a win to open conference play.

The Blue Raiders jumped out to a quick 11-3 lead going into the first media timeout of the night. Middle Tennessee used three steals to total five points off turnovers, leading to a 9-0 run that spanned over three minutes and helped them to a 19-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Courtney Blakely saw the floor well in the first half. The Gary, Indiana, native set her teammates up nicely, totaling seven assists in the first half alone. Some of the biggest benefactors of Blakely's court vision were Anastasiia Boldyreva, who had seven points, and Ta'mia Scott and Elina Arike, who each had six points apiece to lead Middle Tennessee to a 30-19 first-half lead. Defensively, the Blue Raiders held the Panthers to just 5-of-17 shooting and forced 18 turnovers.

Middle Tennessee's depth was put to the test in the second half, as Ta'mia Scott and Courtney Blakely both had accumulated four fouls along with three for both Elina Arike and Jada Grannum, all with still over five minutes to go in the third quarter. That led to important minutes for players like Emily Monson, Jada Grannum, Savannah Davis and Jada Harrison, who all played tough defense and managed the game well on the offensive end to give their team a 47-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Forward Elina Arike was the game's only double-digit scorer, leading all players with 10 points.

Blakely came back off the bench and found Arike for the first basket of the fourth quarter to give her her season-high ninth assist of the night. Blakely finished the game with seven points and 10 assists. Arike set a season-high of her own, as the former Conference USA defensive player of the year dropped 16 points with four rebounds and two assists. Center Anastasiia Boldyreva picked up her fourth double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Savannah Davis scored two points and had three rebounds and had a +25 in a career-high 28 minutes. Jalynn Gregory led the Blue Raiders with 17 points. Defensively, Middle Tennessee forced 27 turnovers, the most in a game this season while holding FIU to just 28% shooting from the field. FIU's 38 points were the least allowed in a regular season game by the Blue Raiders this year.

By the Numbers
10: Season-high assists for Courtney Blakely.
27: Turnovers for FlU, the most forced in a game by MTSU so far this season.
4: Double-doubles for Middle Tennessee center Anastasiia Boldyreva
16: Season-high in points for Elina Arike.
30: Conference wins in a row for MTSU, tying the CUSA record set by Rice.

Blue Raider Notes
With tonight's win over FIU, the Blue Raiders have now won five straight Conference USA openers dating back to the 2020-21 season.

Middle Tennessee will look to replicate its success from last season against CUSA opponents. Not only did the Blue Raiders finish undefeated in conference play but led in a host of statistical categories such as: points per game (71.4), points allowed per game (55.5), shooting percentage (43.5%), three-point percentage (34.7%), free-throw percentage (76.9%) and defensive rebounds (961), among several other categories.

Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"We knew they were going to be really tough," Insell said. "I thought they came in and had a great game plan and got us out of some stuff we like to do. Even though we had some foul trouble, some of the players that came in did a great job. (Savannah) Davis did a great job, (Jada) Harrison and Jada Grannum did a great job, too. We have to build on that. We've been waiting on this game (from Elina Arike) for a long time. She deserves it. Courtney Blakely's 10 assists were great. Everybody's gotten reps the past three days (in practice). Some of those other young ladies that got in tonight got a lot of reps over the past three days, so I think they were ready, mentally."

Player's Perspective: Fifth-Year Senior Forward Elina Arike
"It's been a process getting more comfortable in the system," Arike said. "My teammates have been trusting in me and I came in tonight thinking we're 0-0 and it's a new season and tried to play confidently and it went well. Seeing the ball go through the hoop helps a lot. I'm hoping to keep this up. Everything starts with defense, and I think both myself and us as a team played good defense, and it gives us a lot of energy on the offensive end."

Up Next
Middle Tennessee continues conference play against the Liberty Flames this Saturday at 3 p.m. CDT at the Murphy Center. Coverage will be provided by ESPNU and WGNS radio.