THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Middle Tennessee 83,
Tennessee Tech 45
@Drake 87,
Lindenwood 60
@Southeast Missouri 63, Rust 60
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 83, TENNESSEE TECH 45
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Reagan Hurst and Reghan Grimes led the Tennessee Tech women with 10 points each on Thursday morning as Middle Tennessee took an 83-45 victory in the Murphy Center.
Facing off against the backdrop of a loud and spirited crowd from Murfreesboro City Schools for the Blue Raiders’ Education Day, the two teams battled back and forth through the opening quarter with the Golden Eagles (3-3) prevailing 19-18 in the first stanza.
However, the Blue Raiders (4-2) charged forward, outscoring Tech 21-8 in the second quarter, then 44-18 in the second half to give MTSU its third straight win over the Golden Eagles and 20th in the last 23 meetings. Tech still leads the all-time series 55-47.
The two teams swapped leads back and forth five times but Middle Tennessee only hit two field goals in the first quarter as Courtney Whitson completed the only two shots from the floor in six tries. Instead, the Blue Raiders collected 13 of 18 points at the charity stripe as the Golden Eagles were whistled seven times with Hurst and Anna Walker collecting two of those.
Jordan Brock helped propel the Golden Eagles as she was 3-for-4 in the opening 10, including a perfect 3-for-3 from long range, to collect nine points. She later had last-second heave that went in as both teams were heading to the locker rooms, but the officials waved the shot off after review.
Instead, it was a glimpse at some of the Golden Eagles’ young talent as the redshirt freshman Hurst and true freshman Grimes led the way in scoring. Hurst finished the game with a 3-for-8 day, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 at the stripe, while also pulling down three rebounds with an assist, two steals and a blocked shot. Grimes was 3-for-9 and 4-for-6 from the line with four boards, an assist, a steal and a block.
After the first quarter, the Blue Raiders made their adjustments as they hit 9-of-11 from the floor in the second quarter as Kseniya Malashka didn’t miss a shot, collecting eight of her game-high 19 points in the quarter on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 at the stripe. Her efficient shooting didn’t end there as she ended the day 7-for-9 and 5-for-5 at the line.
The free-throw line proved to be the enemy for the Golden Eagles as Middle Tennessee ended the day 26-of-28 from the stripe, not missing a try until midway through the fourth quarter. Savannah Wheeler scored 10 of her 16 points at the line with a perfect day. Conversely, Tech was 7-for-16 with Grimes knocking down a team-high four.
After Tech shot 50 percent from the floor in the first quarter, the Golden Eagles hit a cold snap, hitting just nine of its 33 remaining field goals in the contest -- a .273 completion rate -- and was 5-for-14 at the line in the final three periods.
Anastasiia Boldyreva also scored in double-digits for MTSU, collecting 10 points. The Blue Raiders ended the day shooting 51 percent (26-of-51).
DRAKE 87, LINDENWOOD 60
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell to the Drake Bulldogs by a final score of 60-87 in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday afternooon.
The Lions extended their road streak with a game against powerhouse Drake, who came into the matchup with a 2-1 home record and 3-2 overall record. This matinee affair for the Bulldogs was the annual "Pack the Knapp for Character" game, which resulted in over 4,000 area elementary and middle school students from over 50 local schools being in attendance.
The first quarter of play resulted in Drake knocking down 27 points as opposed to Lindenwood's 17 points, heading into the second with just a 10 point deficit.
The Bulldogs really got the momentum rolling in the second quarter, however, knocking down 25 more points before the half. The Lions fought hard to keep up, but had a hard fight ahead of them to close things back up for the remainder of the game.
At the half, Paige Craft led the Lions with 11 total points, making her the only Lindenwood player in double digits points-wise. Rebounds and assists were distributed evenly among the Lions, with multiple girls in the running for the top spot on the team leaderboard.
Lindenwood looked strong again in the third, hanging with the Bulldogs by putting up 16 total points in response to Drake's 20 total points. Things sat at 42-72 at the conclusion of the third quarter, and the Lions were still looking to close the gap significantly with tough team defense and more consistent buckets.
The second half consisted of 50% shooting from outside the arc for the Lions, which was a key factor in the close one-point game that was the second half.
To kick off the final quarter of play, the Lions started off outscoring the Bulldogs 11-4, looking to flip the script late in the game. Lindenwood would still have the better of the scoring in the fourth, putting up 18 total points as opposed to Drake's 15, but ultimately fell in the end.
The Lions will take on Tulsa next this Sunday, December 4 at their place, continuing their non-conference road stretch. Tip off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 63, RUST 60
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri defeated visiting Rust College, 63-60, on Thursday night.
Rahmena Henderson led the REdhawks with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. She also brought down a team-high nine boards.
Sophie Bussard had 15 points including hitting a trio of three-pointers. Bussard added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Kennedi Watkins scored 13 points and brought down eight rebounds in the win.
Southeast Missouri is back in action on Sunday when it travels to Kansas.