Old Dominion Monarchs at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
· C-USA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL
54 - 70
Middle Tennessee women beat Old Dominion in C-USA title game
It didn't matter.
Brea Edwards scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Middle Tennessee rolled into the NCAA Tournament with a 70-54 victory over Old Dominion on Saturday night in the Conference USA Tournament championship.
"Sometimes I get caught up in watching them play, instead of coaching them," Insell said. "They are such a joy to watch, and a lot of people didn't give us the credit we deserved."
The second-seeded Blue Raiders (24-8) have won six straight and 15 of their last 16 games, and the conference championship in two of the last three seasons.
Ty Petty, the tournament MVP, led Middle Tennessee with 19 points and seven assists. Gabby Lyon had 13 rebounds and chipped in six points. Abbey Sissom made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.
"No matter who we play, we aren't going to change" Insell said. "We are a little bit banged up ... but they played through it tonight."
Jennie Simms had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists for No. 5 seed Old Dominion (17-17), which played in its first C-USA conference championship. Ije Ajemba added nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Blue Raiders pulled away in the second quarter, with Petty scoring seven points during a 12-0 run to stretch the lead to 32-15, and Middle Tennessee had a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Middle Tennessee shot 48 percent from the floor on 14-of-29 shooting, while the Lady Monarchs were held to just 28 percent shooting (8 of 29) in the first half.
Old Dominion pulled to 37-28 midway through the third quarter. The Blue Raiders answered with a 17-9 run to stretch their lead to 54-37 with 7:26 remaining.
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TIP-INS
Old Dominion: Simms was 6 of 24 from the field, including 0 of 7 from long range. Gianna Smith scored eight points on 2-of-12 shooting. ... The Monarchs missed all 11 3-point attempts in the second half.
Middle Tennessee: Brea Edwards earned a spot on the all-tournament team. ... It was the ninth tournament championship appearance in 11 years under coach Rick Insell. ... Held the Lady Monarchs scoreless for 3:29 in the first quarter. ... Caroline Warden scored three points and played just seven minutes.
UP NEXT
Old Dominion season is over.
Middle Tennessee leads opponent and destination for NCAA Tournament on Monday.
How can I watch Monarchs vs. Blue Raiders?
- TV Channel: Monarchs vs Blue Raiders 2021 College Basketball, week 18, is broadcasted on .
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Recent Plays
| 4th 0:00 |  |
End of Game | 54 - 70 |
| 4th 0:28 |  |
Middle Tennessee Defensive Rebound. | 54 - 70 |
| 4th 0:28 |  |
Gianna Smith missed Three Point Jumper. | 54 - 70 |
| 4th 0:34 | |
Destinee Young Offensive Rebound. | 54 - 70 |
| 4th 0:34 | |
Keyana Brown missed Three Point Jumper. | 54 - 70 |
Statistics
 ODU |
MTSU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 17-62 | FG | 22-51 |
| 27 | Field Goal % | 43 |
| 4-20 | 3PT | 8-16 |
| 20 | Three Point % | 50 |
| 16-24 | FT | 18-26 |
| 67 | Free Throw % | 69 |
| 40 | Rebounds | 43 |
| 16 | Offensive Rebounds | 9 |
| 24 | Defensive Rebounds | 34 |
| 8 | Assists | 14 |
| 4 | Steals | 4 |
| 1 | Blocks | 5 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 12 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 12 | Points Off Turnovers | 6 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 2 |
| 22 | Points in Paint | 24 |
| 23 | Fouls | 21 |
| 1 | Largest Lead | 17 |
Game Information
Location: Birmingham, AL
Capacity:
2025-26 Sun Belt Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Southern | 16-2 | - | 23-8 |
| Troy | 15-3 | 1 | 25-8 |
| James Madison | 14-4 | 2 | 26-9 |
| Arkansas State | 14-4 | 2 | 27-10 |
| Marshall | 13-5 | 3 | 28-9 |
| Old Dominion | 9-9 | 7 | 18-14 |
| Southern Miss | 8-10 | 8 | 15-16 |
| UL Monroe | 7-11 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Coastal Carolina | 7-11 | 9 | 14-18 |
| Texas State | 7-11 | 9 | 11-19 |
| South Alabama | 5-13 | 11 | 17-19 |
| Georgia State | 5-13 | 11 | 10-21 |
| App State | 4-14 | 12 | 11-19 |
| Louisiana | 2-16 | 14 | 5-26 |
2025-26 Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | 17-1 | - | 26-7 |
| Florida International | 12-6 | 5 | 21-12 |
| Missouri State | 11-7 | 6 | 23-13 |
| Liberty | 11-7 | 6 | 18-13 |
| Sam Houston | 11-7 | 6 | 18-13 |
| Middle Tennessee | 11-7 | 6 | 17-16 |
| Jacksonville State | 9-9 | 8 | 16-16 |
| Kennesaw State | 6-12 | 11 | 13-17 |
| Delaware | 6-12 | 11 | 13-19 |
| UTEP | 5-13 | 13 | 13-17 |
| New Mexico State | 5-13 | 12 | 9-21 |
| Western Kentucky | 4-14 | 13 | 8-21 |