Saturday, March 16
Huntsville, Ala.
5:30 PM ET/4:30 PM CT
Liberty University
18-16,11-5CUSA
51
vs
67
Middle Tennessee
29-4,16-0CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Liberty
8
9
16
18
51
Middle Tenn.
7
22
13
25
67
Jordan Bailey wrapped up her career in Saturday's CUSA title game defeat.
Big 2nd Quarter Propels Middle Tennessee Past Liberty in CUSA Title Game
3/16/2024 8:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – No. 1 seed Middle Tennessee used a big second quarter to break things open on its way to a second consecutive CUSA Women's Basketball Championship title, Saturday afternoon at Propst Arena. The Lady Raiders outscored No. 2 seed Liberty 22-9 during the pivotal stanza, leading to a 67-51 victory.
Four MTSU (29-4) starters scored in double figures, led by Anastasiia Boldyreva with 21. Tournament MVP Savannah Wheeler added 15 points and nine assists as the Lady Raiders won their 19th game in a row, completing an unbeaten CUSA regular season and tournament run.
Liberty's first season in CUSA ends at 18-16 with a loss in a second tournament championship game in as many years (ASUN in 2023). The Lady Flames got a huge game from all-tournament team member Bella Smuda (21 points, 15 rebounds) and 11 tallies from fellow all-tournament team pick Asia Boone. However, the Lady Flames' hot three-point shooting from the first two games of the tournament went cold on Saturday (5-of-22 for 22.7 percent).
After starting the year 6-13, Liberty went 12-3 the rest of the way with all three setbacks coming to MTSU.
Box Score Highlights
Other Liberty Individuals: Boone – 11 points, 2-4 3FG; Emma Hess – 10 points, 2-4 3FG; Jordan Bailey – 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists.
Middle Tennessee Individuals: Boldyreva – 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3-3 3FG; Wheeler – 15 points, 9 assists, 3 steals; Ta'Mia Scott – 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 7-8 FT; Jalynn Gregory – 11 points, 7 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished at 32.8 percent (19-of-58) from the field, as compared with 41.8 percent (23-of-55) for the Lady Raiders. Liberty owned a slight 38-36 rebounding edge but was outscored in the paint, 26-20. MTSU scored 14 points off Liberty's 11 turnovers and blocked five shots. Only two bench points were scored in the game, both by the Lady Raiders.
Turning Point
After a defensive first quarter which saw only 15 total points scored, MTSU totaled 22 second-quarter markers to Liberty's nine.
Gregory scored eight of the Lady Raiders' second-quarter points, while Liberty was limited to 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from the field.
MTSU took a 12-point advantage (29-17) into the locker room and kept its lead at seven points or more the rest of the game.
Game Summary
First Quarter
Notes and Nuggets
Four MTSU (29-4) starters scored in double figures, led by Anastasiia Boldyreva with 21. Tournament MVP Savannah Wheeler added 15 points and nine assists as the Lady Raiders won their 19th game in a row, completing an unbeaten CUSA regular season and tournament run.
Liberty's first season in CUSA ends at 18-16 with a loss in a second tournament championship game in as many years (ASUN in 2023). The Lady Flames got a huge game from all-tournament team member Bella Smuda (21 points, 15 rebounds) and 11 tallies from fellow all-tournament team pick Asia Boone. However, the Lady Flames' hot three-point shooting from the first two games of the tournament went cold on Saturday (5-of-22 for 22.7 percent).
After starting the year 6-13, Liberty went 12-3 the rest of the way with all three setbacks coming to MTSU.
Box Score Highlights
Other Liberty Individuals: Boone – 11 points, 2-4 3FG; Emma Hess – 10 points, 2-4 3FG; Jordan Bailey – 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists.
Middle Tennessee Individuals: Boldyreva – 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3-3 3FG; Wheeler – 15 points, 9 assists, 3 steals; Ta'Mia Scott – 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 7-8 FT; Jalynn Gregory – 11 points, 7 rebounds.
Key Team Stats: Liberty finished at 32.8 percent (19-of-58) from the field, as compared with 41.8 percent (23-of-55) for the Lady Raiders. Liberty owned a slight 38-36 rebounding edge but was outscored in the paint, 26-20. MTSU scored 14 points off Liberty's 11 turnovers and blocked five shots. Only two bench points were scored in the game, both by the Lady Raiders.
Turning Point
After a defensive first quarter which saw only 15 total points scored, MTSU totaled 22 second-quarter markers to Liberty's nine.
Gregory scored eight of the Lady Raiders' second-quarter points, while Liberty was limited to 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from the field.
MTSU took a 12-point advantage (29-17) into the locker room and kept its lead at seven points or more the rest of the game.
Game Summary
First Quarter
- Liberty emerged with an 8-7 edge after a first quarter where both teams made just 20 percent of their field goal attempts.
- Bella Smuda grabbed six boards, helping the Lady Flames outrebound the Lady Raiders 17-11 during the opening period.
- For the opening half, Liberty finished at 6-of-32 (18.8 percent) from the floor, as the Lady Flames were held to two points in the paint.
- Bella Smuda went off for 11 points and five boards during the third quarter, helping the Lady Flames trim three points off their deficit.
- Liberty headed to the fourth quarter trailing 42-33.
- Led by Emma Hess (7 points), Liberty hit three triples during an 18-point fourth quarter.
- The Lady Flames were within eight (51-43) after a Smuda jumper midway through the period. MTSU then sealed its victory with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes, bookended by triples from Ta'Mia Scott and Anastasiia Boldyreva.
- Those two players combined for 22 of the victors' 25 fourth quarter points.
Notes and Nuggets
- Smuda recorded double-doubles in all three tournament games, finishing the year with 18 (No. 3 in program history). She scored in double figures in the last 15 games of the season.
- Smuda finishes the year with 340 rebounds (No. 4 in program history) and 77 blocked shots (tied for No. 4 in program history).
- Boone averaged a team-high 16.0 ppg for the tournament. Two triples on Saturday give her 63 for the season, just one shy of Cynthia Thomson's Liberty freshman record from 1989-90.
- Hess extended her Liberty single-season record to 76 made triples, and the team finished with a program single-season record 230 three-pointers on the year.
- Jordan Hodges notched a pair of assists on Saturday, finishing with 153 this season (No. 5 in program history). She played 1,084 minutes this year, just two off Reagan Miller's single-season mark from 2011-12.
- Jordan Bailey posted five points, six rebounds and a career high equaling three assists in her 98th and final game as a Lady Flame.
- Liberty was the first CUSA team to reach the title game in its inaugural season as a conference member since 2015 (WKU). The Lady Flames made the conference tournament title game for the 24th time in 28 seasons and are now 17-6 in championship games all-time.
Team Stats
Lib
MTSU
FG%
.328
.418
3FG%
.227
.350
FT%
.667
.824
RB
38
36
TO
11
8
STL
1
5
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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