MTSU women\u2019s basketball (4-6)\u00a0fell on the road to\u00a0the University of Southern Indiana (6-2),\u00a059-76,\u00a0after a slow\u00a0first\u00a0quarter from\u00a0the Lady Raiders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lady Raiders were\u00a0outscored by just two points in the second half,\u00a0but the\u00a0slow starts and fouls\u00a0from the first quarter would come back to bite Middle Tennessee, as Southern Indiana\u00a0came out on top\u00a0by\u00a017\u00a0points.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the loss, Middle Tennessee showed improved offensive rhythm and resilience in the second half as freshman guard Macie Phifer led all Middle Tennessee scoring with a career-high 20 points, while tallying 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Fellow freshman guard Blair Baugus added 11 points to the Lady Raiders\u2019 effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Freshman guard Yu Han Lin started the scoring with a jumper, and one made free throw to put the Lady Raiders up 3-0.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shortly after the scoring opened for the Lady Raiders, Southern Indiana jumped on top halfway through the first quarter, scoring 13 unanswered points to close out the first quarter with a 19-7 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Middle Tennessee amped up the scoring in the second quarter as Baugus made a layup to end Middle Tennessee\u2019s five-minute scoring drought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lady Raiders pulled a little closer to the Screaming Eagles with a pair of three-pointers from sophomore guard Savannah Davis and Phifer, as well as five points in the quarter from Baugus before half. \u00a0<\/p>\n
MTSU\u00a0went into halftime trailing by double digits but showed increased defensive pressure coming out of the locker room.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Middle Tennessee forced several key stops in the third quarter that briefly cut into the deficit and sparked momentum on both ends of the floor, playing the Screaming Eagles nearly even over the final two quarters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Middle Tennessee will look to regroup and clean up early-game execution as it\u00a0prepares for\u00a0its next home matchup against\u00a0the University of\u00a0Auburn\u00a0(8-3)\u00a0on Dec. 16, and then\u00a0a road matchup\u00a0against Wichita State University\u00a0(2-9)\u00a0on Dec. 20.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To contact the sports editor, email\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Sidelines on Facebook at\u00a0Facebook.com\/MTSUSidelines<\/a>, on X\u00a0@mtsusidelines<\/a>\u00a0and Instagram\u00a0@mtsusidelines<\/a>. Sign up for our weekly newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n