Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 21
Murfreesboro, TN
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
4-1
85
vs
72
Florida Gulf Coast
2-2
1
2
F
FGCU
29
43
72
Middle Tennessee
47
38
85
Team Stats
FGCU
MT
FG%
.429
.483
3FG%
.176
.316
FT%
.711
.719
RB
32
37
TO
16
12
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMT cruises by FGCU in first of two meetings, 85-72
11/21/2017 9:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
King pours in 25, Dixon adds double-double
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Florida Gulf Coast traveled to Middle Tennessee Tuesday in the first of back-to-back matchups between the two teams and didn't go back south in a good mood.
The Blue Raiders (4-1) cruised past the Eagles (2-2) 85-72, setting themselves up for a happy Thanksgiving break.
"At times, I thought we played our best basketball of the season," Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said. "We beat a really good team today … I'm proud of our team."
After allowing the first bucket of the game, Florida Gulf Coast's only lead, MT asserted its dominance on the defensive end of the floor and jumped to a big lead.
Inside of a 24-7 run, the Blue Raiders took their first double-digit lead with just over 11 minutes left in the first half and never let FGCU back in the contest, leading by double digits the rest of the way.
The Eagles made just 3-of-14 shots during the run, finishing the first half just 35 percent from the floor as MT built a 47-29 lead at the break.
"Coach has emphasized getting back on them all week, so we were really just focusing on our get back," sophomore Tyrik Dixon said. "It still wasn't as good as it should have been, but we'll take the win."
While they locked down FGCU on the defensive end, the Blue Raiders went to work offensively, finishing the first half shooting 17-of-31 and knocking down 9-of-12 free throws.
Season leading scorer Nick King (22.8 points per game) spearheaded the offensive output. The senior scored 13 of his team-high 25 points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting. He finished 7-of-12 from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to go with seven rebounds.
"It's all about the team," King said. "I'm just grateful for having great guards and a great coaching staff, and I have a great mental attitude right now."
The Blue Raiders' hot shooting from the field cooled off slightly in the second half, as they hit just 40.7 percent, but they finished well from the free-throw line.
In total, Middle Tennessee hit 23-of-32 (72 percent) free throws in the game, 14 coming after halftime.
"That's another preseason deal," King said. "We just calculated our makes and misses and stayed strong with that throughout the preseason, and I feel like that's paying off now."
Ten of MT's 11 players who saw the field scored at least a point.
Sophomore Tyrik Dixon filled up the stat sheet, ending with a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, four shy of the second triple-double in program history. Senior Giddy Potts finished with 12 points and four steals, while junior David Simmons scored nine.
The Thanksgiving break will be long and joyful for the Blue Raiders after the win. They'll return to action on Dec. 2 at FGCU with a scheduled 6 p.m. CT tipoff, but before that they'll get a chance to go and be with family.
"We're going to the Diamondhead Classic over Christmas, so we're going to take our Christmas this week, take off Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday," Davis said. "It will be interesting to see how we do … I just think if you bring players in in June and they don't get four or five days at home during the grind of the season, I think the season gets long for those guys."
The Blue Raiders (4-1) cruised past the Eagles (2-2) 85-72, setting themselves up for a happy Thanksgiving break.
"At times, I thought we played our best basketball of the season," Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said. "We beat a really good team today … I'm proud of our team."
After allowing the first bucket of the game, Florida Gulf Coast's only lead, MT asserted its dominance on the defensive end of the floor and jumped to a big lead.
Inside of a 24-7 run, the Blue Raiders took their first double-digit lead with just over 11 minutes left in the first half and never let FGCU back in the contest, leading by double digits the rest of the way.
The Eagles made just 3-of-14 shots during the run, finishing the first half just 35 percent from the floor as MT built a 47-29 lead at the break.
"Coach has emphasized getting back on them all week, so we were really just focusing on our get back," sophomore Tyrik Dixon said. "It still wasn't as good as it should have been, but we'll take the win."
While they locked down FGCU on the defensive end, the Blue Raiders went to work offensively, finishing the first half shooting 17-of-31 and knocking down 9-of-12 free throws.
Season leading scorer Nick King (22.8 points per game) spearheaded the offensive output. The senior scored 13 of his team-high 25 points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting. He finished 7-of-12 from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to go with seven rebounds.
"It's all about the team," King said. "I'm just grateful for having great guards and a great coaching staff, and I have a great mental attitude right now."
The Blue Raiders' hot shooting from the field cooled off slightly in the second half, as they hit just 40.7 percent, but they finished well from the free-throw line.
In total, Middle Tennessee hit 23-of-32 (72 percent) free throws in the game, 14 coming after halftime.
"That's another preseason deal," King said. "We just calculated our makes and misses and stayed strong with that throughout the preseason, and I feel like that's paying off now."
Ten of MT's 11 players who saw the field scored at least a point.
Sophomore Tyrik Dixon filled up the stat sheet, ending with a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, four shy of the second triple-double in program history. Senior Giddy Potts finished with 12 points and four steals, while junior David Simmons scored nine.
The Thanksgiving break will be long and joyful for the Blue Raiders after the win. They'll return to action on Dec. 2 at FGCU with a scheduled 6 p.m. CT tipoff, but before that they'll get a chance to go and be with family.
"We're going to the Diamondhead Classic over Christmas, so we're going to take our Christmas this week, take off Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday," Davis said. "It will be interesting to see how we do … I just think if you bring players in in June and they don't get four or five days at home during the grind of the season, I think the season gets long for those guys."
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
Thursday, July 03
MTSU Men's Basketball Coach Nick McDevitt interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30
MTSU Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs Chattanooga NIT 3/18/25
Tuesday, March 18
