The 11-seed Middle Tennessee women's basketball team saw another successful season come to an end on Saturday night as the Blue Raiders fell to 6-seed Colorado 82-60 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Durham, N.C.
It was the 20th overall March Madness appearance for the program, but MT (28-5) has not reached the second round since 2007.
The Blue Raiders were unable to stop a potent Colorado (24-8) offense that hit 13 3-pointers and shot 48 percent from the field. MT also struggled on the offensive end, shooting just 4-24 from 3-point range and hitting 39 percent of their shots overall.
Sophomore Anastasiia Boldyreva led the Blue Raiders with a team-high 16 points on 6-8 shooting in just 22 minutes. She also grabbed four rebounds and blocked two shots.
Senior Savannah Wheeler scored 15 points but shot just 6-17 from the field and missed all six of her 3-point attempts. She also compiled three rebounds, two assists and four steals.
Fellow senior Kseniya Malashka added 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
Three Buffaloes finished in double-figures: Frida Formann (game-high 21 points), Jaylyn Sherrod (13) and Aaronette Vonleh (11).
The Blue Raiders may have been the last team standing from the greater Nashville area, but other in-state teams competed in the NCAA Tournament over the weekend.
On the men's side, 4-seed Tennessee defeated 13-seed Louisiana 58-55 and 5-seed Duke 65-52 to advance to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, 8-seed Memphis fell to 9-seed Florida Atlantic 66-65 in the first round in a game that ended in chaotic and controversial fashion.
In the women's bracket, 16-seeds Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga lost to 1-seeds Indiana (77-47) and Virginia Tech (58-33), respectively. The 4-seed Lady Vols dominated 13-seed Saint Louis 95-50 and take on 12-seed Toledo in the second round on Monday at 5 p.m.
This story was first published by our sister publication The News.
