Lady Raiders Advance to Semi-Finals

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - No. 2 seed in the East Middle Tennessee (17-11) advanced to the semi-finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a 69-55 win over No. 3 seed in the West New Orleans (12-16) Sunday in Diddle Arena.

Patrice Holmes, the 2003 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, recorded a double-double with 29 points and 14 rebounds. She also dished out five assists and recorded one steal, which leaves her with needing four to take over the record for most steals in a season.

Freshman Tia Stovall proved she likes the confines of Diddle Arena as she scored 20 or more points for the second game in a row with 23 against New Orleans. Last week, in the regular season finale, she scored 20 points in the Lady Raider's loss to Western Kentucky.

Middle Tennessee was down by one, 23-22 at halftime, but Middle Tennessee went on a 16-11 run in the first six minutes to pull ahead. Middle Tennessee built a 38-34 lead with 13:51 to go

and began to push the tempo to expand the lead.

The Lady Raiders kept the game in their favor at the free throw line as Middle Tennessee hit 25-of-31 from the charity stripe. The Lady Raiders also shot a scorching 53.6 percent from the field in the second half, as opposed to 33.3 percent in the first half.

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