Insell makes history as Lady Raiders win

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Cannon County native Rick Insell's 333rd career win at Middle Tennessee came in tough, gritty fashion Saturday night.

With the North Texas Mean Green (10-9, 3-4) visiting the Murphy Center, Insell became the winningest coach in MT basketball history as his Lady Raiders (16-5, 7-1) won 61-46.

The 14-year head coach is now 333-115 at the helm of his alma mater, each win coming against Division I opponents. He passed former men's basketball coach Kermit Davis in victories.

"I was really proud of our girls," Insell said. "I'm very humbled ... I want everything in this program to be focused on our young ladies.

"This program is bigger than one person, bigger than one player, bigger than one coach. I'm very happy to have 333 wins, but I'll tell you right now I'm happier for our young ladies who have won championships here, left here with rings on and left here with diplomas."

Offense was a struggle for both teams early in the night as two of Conference USA's better defenses dominated.

Once the second half came around, though, Middle Tennessee found a spark behind its two senior scoring leaders and rode its defensive momentum to a victory.

The Lady Raiders led 19-18 at halftime after the teams combined to shoot 13 for 53 with 20 turnovers between them in the first two quarters.

Just when the home team needed it, seniors Alex Johnson and A'Queen Hayes took over. They scored 28 of MT's 42 points after halftime, combining for 9-for-15 shooting from the floor, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.

"We knew that we had to come out and just do what we know how to do, play our role," Johnson said. "Once we got going, I think everyone else followed easily behind."

Hayes started things off in the third quarter. After struggling to 2-for-7 shooting and six points in the first half, she came out of the locker room on a mission to get to the basket.

She scored six of the Lady Raiders' nine points in the first five minutes of the third quarter, ending the frame with 10 including three shots in the paint and four free throws. Hayes finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, both team highs.

"She's special," Insell said. "That baseline drive, she's so quick on that first step and it gave them problems."

Holding a 36-32 lead after three quarters, Middle Tennessee turned to Johnson to seal things in the fourth.

After a Hayes layup to start the scoring, Johnson scored the next 10 for the Lady Raiders. The Murfreesboro native finished with 19 points in the game on 7-for-14 shooting, including a career-high three made 3-pointers.

"I got two quick fouls, and one was really stupid on my part," Johnson said. "The biggest thing was settling down and being smart mentally and not making those quick, easy mistakes."

Sophomore Anna Jones was also in double-figure scoring for Middle Tennessee with 10 points on a 3-for-4 night from distance. She also had five rebounds and three steals while trying to provide energy on the defensive end.

"When you're struggling in one field, you have to improve somewhere else," Jones said. "Eventually, [shots] will fall ... I've just tried to help the team in other parts of the game."

Insell's team gets a consolation prize for winning his 333rd game. The Lady Raiders will be off for a week before hosting UAB on Feb. 2.

"We said we were going to win the conference, then Rice beat us," Insell said. "Now you're one down, and we have a choice, we can either gut it up and climb back up or just quit. We aren't quitting. Lady Raiders don't quit."