MT hosts Lady Railsplitters in final exhibition contest

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee women's basketball plays its final preseason game on Tuesday, Nov. 6 when the Blue Raiders host Lincoln Memorial in a 6:30 p.m. contest at the Murphy Center.

The Raiders defeated Alabama-Huntsville, 97-64, in an exhibition win last Thursday. Five players reached double figures as Kortni Jones led the team with 20 points and seven rebounds. Lebanon native Icelyn Elie collected a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds and 10 points.

Middle Tennessee forced 23 turnovers and held UAH to 31 percent shooting in the game. Conversely, MT grabbed 46 rebounds and made 49 percent of their shots in the win.

The 2012 regular season opens with Kennesaw State on Friday in the preseason WNIT. The Blue Raiders are coming off a 26-7 mark last season. ESPN.com ranked the Blue Raiders No. 23 in the nation in their annual preseason poll.

MT was voted 27th in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll and 32nd in the USA Today Sports / ESPN preseason top 25 poll.

For the fourth time in the Rick Insell era, the Blue Raiders will play the Lady Railsplitters in a preseason game. MT last met the Raiders on Nov. 4, 2010 when MT picked up a 94-59 win.

LMU was selected to finish sixth in the South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches' poll. Last season, the Lady Railsplitters posted a 14-13 mark under first year head coach Roger Hodge. The winning mark was the first for Lincoln Memorial since 2004.

Two of LMU's top five scorers return from a year ago. Ralissa Nelson started and played in 26 games last season, scoring 8.2 points per contest and corralling 5.8 boards per game. She also recorded 83 assists, 19 blocks and 13 steals.

Live audio and video of Tuesday's exhibition will be available online at GoBlueRaiders.com with Dick Palmer calling the action.

Tickets for Tuesday's exhibition are $5. Season tickets are on sale by calling the MTSU Ticket Office at 1-888-YES-MTSU or purchasing online. Combo packs for men's and women's games are $199 each, while women's basketball season tickets are $100.

QUICK INFO

OPPONENT: Lincoln Memorial (2011-12 Record: 14-13, 9-9 South Atlantic Conference)

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012 - 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Murphy Center - Murfreesboro, Tenn.

AUDIO/VIDEO: GoBlueRaiders.com - Dick Palmer (play-by-play)

TICKETS: GoBlueRaiders.com or 1-888-YES-MTSU

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