Raiders Start Fast in 79-52 Victory

LAFAYETTE, La. - With three wins needed to claim a fourth straight Sun Belt Championships title, 17th-ranked Middle Tennessee answered the first test with a dominating 79-52 victory over South Alabama Saturday in the quarterfinals of the SBC Tournament at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La.

Middle Tennessee (27-3) ran its winning streak to 24 games overall this season and set a new single-season record for wins with the victory. With Duke's loss to N.C. State in the ACC Tournament, Middle Tennessee now owns the nation's longest winning streak.

The Blue Raiders scored the first 14 points of the game and 25 of the first 29, holding the Jaguars without a point for more than five minutes and without a field goal until the 10:10 mark of the first half.

Chrissy Givens scored a game-high 24 points, one of four Blue Raiders in double figures in the contest. Amber Holt and Krystle Horton both netted 13 points and Latoya Barclay added a season-high 10 off the bench.

Givens, Horton and Barclay all had 10 points in the opening 20 minutes, as the Blue Raiders made 54 percent from the field, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

Horton scored six of the game's first eight points, while Johnna Abney and Barclay both hit a pair of 3-pointers in the half. South Alabama committed 16 turnovers and hit just 5-for-20 from the floor. <

P> In the second half Middle Tennessee kept up the defense, building the lead to 75-37 with 6:09 remaining.

The Blue Raiders meet the winner of the Denver-Arkansas-Little Rock contest on Monday at 12:30 p.m. in the semifinals.

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