The Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders faced toughest test of the young season Thursday night when the fourth ranked Xavier Musketeers.

Middle scored first in the game by beating Xavier's full-court press when freshman Ebony Rowe was able to score on a quick layup assisted by sophomore Kortni Jones.

From that point on, the Lady Raiders would have their share offensive troubles. The team did a good job of creating the open shots they wanted for guards Anne Marie Lanning and Tina Steward, but the shots simply did not drop.

The team also gave the ball up far more than they wanted to against a team with the talent of Xavier leading to the 65-52 loss.

"I wanted to go into the half with five turnovers and we had nine," Raider coach Rick Insell said. "Our two best shooters were two of 13. Put three more of those in and we're up"

Despite Middle Tennessee's offensive struggles, the team was able to execute on the defensive end and enter the half down only five with a score of 26-21.

The second half saw Xavier begin to pull away from Middle. The Musketeers opened the half by scoring on their first three possessions to stretch the lead to 11.

Raider fans got quite a scare when Lanning hit the court hard and left the game, making her way off the court slowly after what she described as an incidental collision. Lanning wasn't out long, reentering the game just over one minute later to a roaring crowd.

"She's a winner," Insell said.

Middle's offensive woes continued as they saw Xavier build a 19-point lead with 8:33 left in the game, but the team would battle back, going on a 12 to 2 run.

"We're a tough team," Ebony Rowe said. "We're not going to back down."

The late run was not enough for Middle to earn a win Thursday night, but it was an impressive showing from the youngest team coach Insell has had in his time MTSU.

"I thought our kids fought and they didn't quit," Insell said. "(Xavier is) a well coached team. I think they have a very good shot at being in the Final Four."

Rowe led Middle Tennessee in scoring with 13 and rebounds with eight, continuing her impressive freshman run.

"I thought, heart, she gave us everything she had," Insell said. "She wanted the ball tonight."

Insell was also impressed with the minutes another freshman, Jordyn Luffman, gave the team off the bench with 10 points in her first double-digit scoring game. 

"We're a young team and we've got to build on what we've got," Insell said. "They may make mistakes, but they'll give you all they've got."

The team can't dwell on the loss with a game against 5-3 James Madison coming up Sunday.

"Sunday's going to be a big game," Insell said. "It's going to be a totally different kind of game than it was tonight."