Middle Tennessee women’s basketball (16-15, 11-7 CUSA) dominated St. Bonaventure University (17-15, 7-11 A-10) in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, 69-50.
Conference USA Freshman of the Year, Blair Baugus, helped establish the team’s hot shooting and relentless defense, contributing a 20-point,14-rebound double-double.
The Lady Raiders controlled both sides of the ball from the opening tip, getting their offense going early, with an 11-0 run before a Bonnies timeout.
St. Bonaventure responded out of the timeout, going on a 5-0 run, before a jumper by Baugus, ended the streak.
“We got up a lot [of shots] at the beginning, but then they started to catch up,” sophomore guard Savannah Davis said. “So, I think making sure we hold the whole thing up [the score] and not letting them come back is important.”
Despite the hot start, MTSU finished the quarter with 2-of-7 shooting from three-point territory.
Middle Tennessee’s shooting slump carried over into the second quarter, allowing the Bonnies to tie the score at 20 apiece, with 6:19 remaining. However, the Lady Raiders shifted momentum, going on a 9-0 run, highlighted by three consecutive shots from beyond the arc, with two by Davis.
“We came out and turned on our offense early, but then we let them back in it,” MTSU head coach Rick Insell said. “…we put Savannah in, and Savannah just took the game over offensively. She hit every big shot for us.”
A last-second putback shot by Baugus upped Middle Tennessee’s advantage to 39-27 going into the half.
Going into the second half, the Lady Raiders and Bonnies traded early buckets, with both teams garnering second-chance opportunities.
St. Bonaventure converted on 5-of-6 shots down to stretch to go on a 10-0 run, cutting the lead to 46-41.
The Lady Raiders ended their nearly five-minute scoring drought following several pairs of free throw attempts from Baugus and guard Macie Phifer.
MTSU went on a 6-0 run to close the quarter, with Davis connecting from three-point range to extend MTSU’s lead back to double digits.
An early technical foul against Bonnie Aaliyah Parker in the final quarter sent senior guard Alayna Contreras to the stripe, where she converted both free throws at the 8:51 mark. Contreras again scored on a pull-up jumper shortly after.
Contreras and Baugus carried MTSU’s offense on their backs to close out the second round WNIT matchup, 69-50.
“We want to build on this,” Insell said. “Luckily, we get to play back in front of our fanbase…I knew they were in the game from the get-go. Another big game, let’s see where it takes us.”
The Lady Raiders host Cleveland State University (25-9, 13-7 Horizon League) in the Super 16 matchup on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT at the Murphy Center.
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