Exhibition season comes to a close Monday

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee women’s basketball will play its second and last exhibition game of the 2011-12 campaign when it plays host to Martin Methodist at 5:30 p.m. inside the historic Murphy Center. The contest will be the first in a Blue Raider doubleheader, with the men’s program facing North Alabama afterwards.

Middle Tennessee opened the exhibition slate with a 124-55 win over Alabama-Huntsville Tuesday with six players reaching double-figure scoring. Junior Kortni Jones led the way with 28 points, while freshman Shanice Cason netted 17 in her first collegiate action. Sophomore Ebony Rowe, a co-Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year and All-Sun Belt First Team honoree, added a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Martin Methodist, a member of the NAIA’s TranSouth Athletic Conference, has already played two games on its young season. The Redhawks opened with a 100-35 win over Toccoa Falls Oct. 28 before they fell 102-93 the next night to St. Catharine (Ky.).

Vee Young leads coach Jamy Bechler’s squad with averages of 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds through the first two games.

MMC reached the quarterfinals of the TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament a year ago with a 6-10 league record and 17-14 overall mark.

The Blue Raiders are preparing for their season-opening trip to University Park, Pa., next weekend where they will begin the year by facing UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. Central in a neutral-site matchup. Middle Tennessee will then square off against Washington State or host Penn State, ranked No. 12 and 14 in the preseason Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ polls, respectively. All games in the Bryce Jordan Center will be part of the Lady Lion Classic.

It will mark the first time since 2007-08 MT will begin a season away from Murphy Center. The Blue Raiders traveled to Norfolk, Va., to face Old Dominion to start that year.

Monday’s exhibition can be heard online at GoBlueRaiders.com with Dick Palmer and Duane Hickey on the call. The game also can be viewed on MTTV (Channel 10 in Murfreesboro) via a student production class.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.