Blue Raiders Fall to UALR 58-53

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Middle Tennessee women's basketball (9-7, 2-1 SBC) dropped its first Sun Belt Conference game of the season with a 58-53 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock (9-7, 1-2 SBC) Saturday at Jack Stephens Center.

The Blue Raiders opened the game with a jumper by LaCondra Mason to take a 2-0 lead, but after the game was tied 2-2 the Lady Trojans took the lead 4-2 and Middle Tennessee never led again. Middle Tennessee was handcuffed by 24 turnovers in the game and leading scorer Chrissy Givens held to just four points the entire night.

Middle Tennessee made a run with four minutes remaining as the team was down by 10, 55-45, and went on a 4-0 run to cut the Lady Trojan lead to six with a little over three minutes to go. Arkansas-Little Rock's Andrea Keys broke the Lady Trojans' drought to push the score to 57-49. Middle Tennessee cut the lead to five, 58-53, with two minutes to play when junior forward Krystle Horton hit a bucket and was fouled and converted on the three-point play.

The loss is just the second in school history to Arkansas-Little Rock with the series record now 9-2 in the Blue Raiders' favor. Middle Tennessee had a chance to take sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt East, with Florida International's loss to Denver earlier in the day, but now the squad is tied for first place.

Horton paced the Blue Raiders with 16 points. She was the only Blue Raider to score in double figures for Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee completes its three-game road swing on Thursday at South Alabama. The game is a doubleheader with the men and tip-off is set for 5 p.m.

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