Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee were in a defensive battle inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday night. The Lady Techsters fell 55-46.
“I thought we defended well enough to win tonight,” said head coach Brooke Stoehr. “Our group battled and had our chances. They force you into hard shots and you have to be able to be disciplined enough to get to spots in transition and screen well to hunt easier shots or force them into some rotations. We have to regroup quickly and be ready for Saturday.”
Louisiana Tech (13-12, 6-8 CUSA) fell behind 6-2 early on, with Middle Tennessee (20-6, 12-1) hitting two of their first three shots. The Lady Techsters would cut into the deficit with three straight points heading into the first media timeout down 8-7. The two teams would finish the quarter even with the Blue Raiders holding a 12-11 lead.
MTSU struck first in the second, but Jordan Marshall hit the first three of the game for either team to tie it up at the eight-minute mark. Fellow freshman, Paris Bradley gave Tech the lead before the Blue Raiders would tie it back up. Back-to-back baskets by Sydney Thomas and Robyn Lee gave the Techsters a four-point lead with three minutes to go. LA Tech would take a 24-21 lead into the locker room.
Tech grabbed their biggest lead of the game at six after a Marshall and-1 on their second possession. A Lee jumper two minutes into the half would be the last for the Techsters over six minutes. During that time, Tech missed all four shots and committed their only two turnovers of the quarter. However, the Lady Techster’s ability to get to the free throw line kept them in the game, as MTSU would only have a one-point lead. Three straight baskets by Middle’s Anastasiia Boldyreva increased the visitor’s lead to seven heading into the final stanza.
Both teams traded baskets to open the fourth before another Marshall and-1 pulled Tech within five halfway through. The final basket of the game, a triple by Middle Tennessee, came at 4:40, putting Tech down 50-48. From there, both teams would finish the game trading free throws.
Marshall led Louisiana Tech with nearly a double-double at 14 points and nine rebounds. Lee was the only other Techster in double figures at 12 with seven rebounds. Isla Airey had five blocks. Tech finished 31.4 percent from the field, 8.3 from behind the arc, and 92.9 percent from the free throw line.
Middle Tennessee finished 38.2 percent overall, 27.3 from long range, and 87.5 percent from the line. Boldyreva had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while adding five blocks.
