RUSTON – Louisiana Tech takes its four-game winning streak into the final regular season game at Middle Tennessee on Saturday, March 9. Tipoff is set for 9:30 a.m. CT on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time:Â Saturday, March 9 | 9:30 a.m. CT
Location:Â Murphy Coliseum (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
TV:Â ESPN+
Talent:Â Jake Rose (PxP), Daron Park (analyst)
Radio:Â KNBB 97.7 FMÂ | LA Tech Athletics app
Talent:Â Kyle Roberts
Stats:Â LATechSports.com/Stats
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (13-17, 7-8)
Louisiana Tech scored 22 points in the first quarter to win 71-57 over Sam Houston on Wednesday night. The Lady Techsters held the Bearkats to four points in the opening stanza.
Robyn Lee led Tech with 14 points and eight rebounds. For the season, Bates contributes 8.1 points and 3.8 boards a contest.
Silvia Nativi nearly had a double-double of her own with 11 points and seven assists. Nativi has been the top distributor for the Lady Techsters with 102 assists on the season. She has 16 contests with three or more and nine with at least five. She was named to the CUSA All-Academic Team with a 3.898 GPA in accounting.
Tech has been working through the paint more in the past four games, averaging 31.5 points down low. Anna Larr Roberson and Mackenzie Wurm combined for 24 of Tech's season-high 42 points in the paint against Sam Houston.
The Lady Techsters have also found success from behind the arc. Tech has made 182 3-pointers this season, tying the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons for the second most in program history. They are just four behind the school record of 186 set during the 2019-20 season.
ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (25-4, 15-0)
Middle Tennessee has been dominating in CUSA play, winning all 15 games by an average margin of 17.6. The Lady Raiders have already secured the conference regular season title.
All five of MTSU's starters average over 30 minutes and 9.4 points a game, led by preseason CUSA Player of the Year Savannah Wheeler at 17.4 a contest. She scored in double figures in all conference games except for two, where she scored nine at Jacksonville State and just three points in the first matchup against the Lady Techsters. She also adds 4.3 boards and 4.9 assists a contest.
Center Anastasiia Boldyreva is one of the top rim protectors in the country. She is fourth in the nation with 3.0 blocks per game and 87 blocks. She has 16 games with four or more blocks in her career, with a career-high eight at Jacksonville State earlier this season. Boldyreva leads the Lady Raiders with 8.3 rebounds per game and adds 14.6 points while shooting a conference-best 59.7 percent from the field.
Middle Tennessee is one of the top defensive teams in CUSA and the nation. MTSU leads the conference in blocks per game (5.1, 17th nationally), FG percentage defense (34.5, 5th nationally), scoring defense (54.3, 8th nationally), and scoring margin (17.6, 15th nationally).
THE SERIES
Middle Tennessee has an 11-7 record in the series. The Lady Techsters played the Lady Raiders the closest anyone has played this season in conference play, falling 64-61 in overtime on Jan. 10.
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