MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee dominated scoring inside on Friday, outscoring Rice 52-18 in the paint en route to an 87-63 victory in the Murphy Center.
Ksenyia Malashka led all scorers with a career-high 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting in her first start of the season, one of five Lady Raiders in double figures scoring on Friday, the first time that's happened since March 11, 2021 against Louisiana Tech in the C-USA Tournament quarterfinals. Their 52 points in the paint was also a season high.
"I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know the word I need to use, upset because we haven't been going to the post," head coach
Rick Insell said of his team's points in the post. "Today, we threw the ball to the post, and you saw what happened. We've got people that can score in the post, and we've got to throw them the basketball."
Malashka was a force on both ends of the court, setting a career-high in blocks with four on the defensive end.
"It was nothing close to the best teams that we've played," Malashka said of Rice's physicality. "I feel like we've played more aggressive teams. I feel like this team came here and felt like they were just going to beat us at our home."
Jalynn Gregory and
Courtney Blakely tied for the team lead in steals with three each, as both freshman guards scored in double figures (16 points for Gregory, 13 for Blakely). Blakely's defense on the Owl ball handler on each possession was critical in forcing Rice into 20 turnovers, which MT scored 25 points off of as they built their lead.
"I was trying to pressure the ball as much as I could," Blakely said. "I knew that if I got in her head, she would start getting into her own head."
Insell praised Blakely's defense and energy to open up his press conference postgame, highlighting the difference she made after coming into the game during Rice's 13-2 run to open the game. Blakely finished the game with the best +/- of any player on the court with a +30.
"I thought the game turned around when we put
Courtney Blakely in the game," Insell said. "I don't know what she did point or rebound wise, but her presence in there, where she was constantly like a little gnat, where every time they turned around she was there trying to peck the ball away."
Dor Saar (12 points) and
Courtney Whitson (10 points) rounded out the double digit scorers for the Lady Raiders.
Anastasiia Boldyreva added eight points of her own in just nine minutes of play as well.
The game got off to a quick pace in the first quarter, with both teams exchanging long runs to end the quarter with a 25-17 Rice lead. The Owls initially led by as much as 13-2, before the Lady Raiders responded with a 12-2 run of their own to get back into the game. Rice's size advantage proved critical in the period, the Owls outrebounded MT 16-5 in the first ten minutes.
The Lady Raiders responded with relentless effort in the second quarter, outscoring Rice 29-10 in the frame to take a 46-35 lead into the locker room at halftime. Malashka scored 11 points on her own in the quarter, while MT added 11 points off of seven Owl turnovers to continue to increase their lead.
MT kept building on their halftime lead in the third quarter, taking a 68-54 advantage heading into the final ten minutes. 18 of the Lady Raiders' 22 points in the third quarter came in the paint. Their 42 points in the paint after the third quarter were already the teams' most points in the paint as a team this season.
Insell finished the fourth quarter playing every single eligible player on his roster, as MT held Rice to just 22.2 percent shooting from the floor across the final ten minutes to outscore the Owls 19-9 in the final frame, powering them to their final 87-63 margin of victory.
Middle Tennessee will be back in action on Sunday, when they face off against North Texas in the Murphy Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
