Rutherford Times

Kseniya Malashka and Savannah Wheeler combined to score 45 of Middle Tennessee's 76 points as the Lady Raiders handled UAB, 76-45.
 
With the win, the Lady Raiders (14-2, 7-0 C-USA) extended their winning streak to 12 games, which ties for the longest streak by the program since Dec. 27, 2013 to Feb. 10, 2014.
 
Middle Tennessee trailed briefly in the first quarter but a 12-3 end to the frame gave the Lady Raiders a 16-9 lead. UAB's (9-8, 1-7 C-USA) scoring in the first quarter came on three 3-pointers. Wheeler caught fire in the second quarter with eight points, including shooting 3-of-4 from the field to help MTSU extend its lead to 18 (38-20) at halftime.
 
As UAB cut the lead to single digits (41-32) at the 6:16 mark in the third, Wheeler continued to hit shots, Malashka found her groove in the second half. The redshirt senior forward scored nine points in the third quarter and 12 of MTSU's 17 points in the final period to finalize her season-high 26 points.
 
The Lady Raiders forced 19 turnovers while committing just eight themselves. MTSU scored 29 points off turnovers compared to UAB's seven. The Lady Raiders won the battle on the boards 42-34.
 
By The Numbers
 
14: Number of rebounds Courtney Whitson brought down, in addition to seven assists and five points in 40 minutes of action. Whitson tied her season high in rebounds and set a new season and C-USA high in assists.
 
0: Steals forced and fastbreak points by UAB tonight. It's the fourth time an opponent hasn't recorded a steal in a game in program history and the first since at USF Dec. 18, 2013.
 
11: Ties for the most threes made by the Lady Raiders this season. The previous game was vs. Louisville Dec. 4, 2022.
 
Game Notes
 
-       At 7-0, MTSU has tied its best start through seven games in conference play since its first year in the league (2013-14).
-       Middle Tennessee has won its last four games by at least 19 points.
-       Savannah Wheeler is four points away from 1500 career points while Kseniya Malashka is six points away from 1,000 career points.
-       It was the 11th straight game that the Lady Raiders have gone on a scoring run of at least 10 unanswered points (10-0 run in first quarter).

Thoughts from Head Coach Rick Insell
"We take the win on the road and we're happy with it. We didn't get anybody hurt and they didn't get anybody hurt, so that's the big thing. We'll get back to Murfreesboro and get ready to go to Charlotte. We know we have three tough games this week and Charlotte is good. They're tough and aggressive and we're going to have to play aggressive there too. Then we've got to come back home and play Louisiana Tech. I'm awfully proud of the girls tonight."

Original source can be found here