MURFREESBORO, Tn -- Number 19 Middle Tennessee set a school record with its 16th straight victory 84-57 over the University of Louisiana on Sunday. A raucous crowd of 5,228 saw the Lady Raiders go on an astounding 33-5 run in just over an 8-minute span to remain undefeated in Sun Belt Conference action. MTSU, which is a perfect 11-0 all-time versus the Lady Cajuns, also set a record for 3-pointers attempted with 48 in the triumph.

The crafty Cajuns (17-6, 9-3) played great defense in the first half to jump out to a 9-4 lead at the 16-minute mark. UL coach J. Kelley Hall made an attempt to fire up his team after MT had erased the lead, getting tabbed with a technical foul at the 8:20 mark of the first half, and his team regained the lead  at 1:15 before halftime.  

However, the Lady Raiders (19-3, 11-0) used its vaunted half-court press and lateral quickness in the second half to create Cajun turnovers, and began to connect from outside the arc. MT hit only 3-of-23 treys in the first stanza, and finished the game netting 12-of-48.

All-America candidate and Wade List nominee Chrissy Givens, a senior from Monroe (LA), tallied 23 points to lead the ladies in blue. She was fouled on 4 made field goals, resulting in 2 "old-fashioned"  3-point plays, and garnered 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

www.BlueRaiderZone.com Player of the Game Krystle Horton started in her 100th straight contest and gathered 13 points on 5-of-6 from the field.

"Krystle, dadblame it, makes us a much better team. She's a winner," said MT Head Coach Rick Insell.

The 6-2 senior from Murfreesboro Riverdale secured a double/double with 12 boards. She added 3 assists and 3 steals, and nailed her first trifecta of the season.

"Coach Insell told me that the three was open and I said 'Yes, I know'. The next time I was there (beyond the arc) I shot it and made it," said Horton.

"She shot the trey much better than some of our other shooters and she's perfect for the season (1-of-1)," Insell noted.

Freshman "Downtown" Brandi Brown drilled 4 3-pointers and had 15 points. In addition, she collected 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a blocked shot. Frosh Chelsia Lymon hit 3 trifectas and tallied 9 points, while Duluth's (GA) Amber Holt contributed 8.

"I had to beg our shooters to shoot the ball in the first half," said Insell. "We had another heated discussion at the half. It may take a game like this to get us jumpstarted.

"UL was a little tired after their game with FAU, and it's tough on the road. They'll certainly be ready when tournament time comes."

6-2 junior center Sonora Edwards' 14 points and 12 rebounds led Louisiana-Lafayette. New Iberia's Onna Charles netted 12 points, while Preseason All-Sun Belt First Teamer Yolanda Jones chipped in 10 points and 14 boards.

UL, which had defeated both South Carolina and Western Kentucky on the road this season, came into the Murphy Center on a 7-game win streak.

"It was great to be part of history and get the win today," said Horton.

Middle Tennessee has not lost since November 26th (a span of over two months) in Knoxville to the 4th-ranked Lady Vols. The Lady Raiders have won 26 consecutive Sun Belt Conference home games.

Insell insists, "We have something special happening in the Glass House right now. I'm just a very small part of it, and it's just the beginning. One day we'll be getting 8, 9, and 10 thousand in attendance at every home game."

"We are not a mid-major. I feel like we're major, especially since we're the largest undergraduate university in this state."

Middle Tennessee hosts Denver (12-8, 7-4) on Wednesday. The Lady Cajuns return home to Lafayette to face out-of-conference foe Savannah State, also on Wednesday.

The Rick Insell Live Radio Show is tonight (Monday) at 6pm at Bluesboro on the Murfreesboro Square. It can be heard on FM 88.3 WMTS and on the Internet at www.GoBlueRaiders.com.

"We need everyone to come out to Bluesboro to keep our momentum going. Every event is a piece to the puzzle," says Insell.