Blue Raiders hit the road Tuesday

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee women's basketball will hit the road for its first away game of the season, traveling to Clarksville, Tenn., for a 7 p.m. Tuesday tip at Austin Peay.

The young Blue Raider squad, which features 11 sophomores and freshmen among the 15-player roster, opened the 2010-11 campaign with a 71-59 home win over the Big East's USF Sunday afternoon inside the Murphy Center. Middle Tennessee trailed 7-0 early and committed 30 turnovers but rallied to take the lead late in the first half and pushed the margin to a game-high 15 with 2:21 remaining.

Freshman Ebony Rowe made an impact in her first collegiate game, packing all players with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while adding three blocked shots, three assists and two steals in 40 minutes. She was the first Blue Raider rookie to start the season opener since 2007 and just the fourth under head coach Rick Insell (2005-present).

Rowe is the first Middle Tennessee player in the Insell era to post a double-double in her debut and the 16 rebounds are the most by a Blue Raider in her first MT game. The 25 points rank third in a Middle Tennessee debut by any player since Insell took the reigns of the program.

She was joined in double-figure scoring by senior Anne Marie Lanning, who notched 18 points and grabbed a career-high tying eight rebounds. Lanning moves within 216 points of reaching 1,000 for her career.

Austin Peay, which reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons under fifth-year mentor Carrie Daniels, opened its campaign with a 93-53 setback at Purdue Friday. The Lady Govs featured a balanced scoring attack against the Boilermakers with Meghan Bussabarger leading with 10 points. Jasmine Rayner hauled in a team-best six rebounds at the Big Ten foe.

Tuesday's game can be heard on the Blue Raider Network with Dick Palmer on the call. Radio stations broadcasting the game are WGNS (100.5 FM, 101.9 FM, 1450 AM), WMOT (89.5 FM) and WBRY (96.7 FM, 1540 AM).

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