Middle Tennessee State’s women’s basketball clinched the Conference USA regular-season title for the second consecutive season Saturday.
And it came against the program’s biggest rival.
The Lady Raiders (23-4, 13-0 CUSA) defeated host Western Kentucky 59-41 to lock up the conference’s No. 1 seed with three league games remaining on the schedule. FIU and Liberty, the two closest teams to MTSU in the standings, both have four losses
“It’s a great day to be a Blue Raider,” said MTSU senior guard Savannah Wheeler, who scored 18 points.
The win also extends MTSU’s winning streak against CUSA teams to 23 games, dating back to last season’s conference regular-season and tournament championships. Prior to 2022-23, the Lady Raiders last won the CUSA regular-season title in 2014, although they won the tourney crown in 2016 and 2021.
“We were a little nervous today … we were playing for a ring,” MTSU coach Rick Insell said. “But we were able to clinch this thing today.”
MTSU will carry the No. 1 seed into the league’s tournament March 12-16 in Huntsville, Alabama. The Lady Raiders will play in the quarterfinals against the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 seeds on March 13 at 11:30 a.m. at Von Braun Center/Probst Arena.
All but one of MTSU’s conference wins this season have come by double-digits, with eight of the 13 coming by more than 20 points.
Despite that, and running away with the regular-season crown, the Lady Raiders haven’t let up on the intensity.
“We don’t overlook anybody,” Wheeler said. “We just prepare for who we play. Also, we look at ourselves in the mirror, because at the end of the day we’re competing with ourselves too. We just want to continue getting better.”
MORE: MTSU women’s basketball star Savannah Wheeler leaving an epic legacy in Conference USA
MTSU struggled at times offensively against Western Kentucky (6-7, 15-13), but allowed just four points in the first quarter and 20 in the first half. MTSU has allowed an average of just 40 points in its past four games.
Four MTSU players scored in double figures, including Ta’Mia Scott (16), Anastasiia Boldyreva (13) and Courtney Whitson (10). Boldyreva had a double-double with 14 rebounds.
MTSU’s final three conference games will include a home contest against Sam Houston State on March 2, a road game at Liberty on March 6 and a home finale against Louisiana Tech on March 9.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU women’s basketball clinches Conference USA regular-season title
