Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, January 11
Murfreesboro, TN
8 PM
Middle Tennessee
-124, 40 CUSA
72
vs
57
LA Tech
-108, 14 CUSA
1
2
F
Louisiana Tech
30
27
57
Middle Tennessee
32
40
72
Team Stats
TECH
MT
FG%
.368
.491
3FG%
.333
.286
FT%
.600
.842
RB
26
41
TO
9
12
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Big men lead Raiders to 15-point win over LA Tech
1/11/2018 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
King, Walters combine for 40 points, 17 rebounds
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After a month away from home, Middle Tennessee showed it was happy to be back at the Murphy Center Thursday, beating LA Tech 72-57.
It was just the fourth win for MT (12-4, 4-0) in the 15-game series all-time against the Bulldogs (10-8, 1-4) but second in a row.
"There've been a lot of really good games with LA Tech," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "It was good to be home, and we sure appreciate all the fans that came out.
"It was just a good conference win."
The Blue Raiders, who hadn't played a home game in 33 days prior to Thursday, wore down LA Tech with their big men and a dominant defensive display after halftime to get the win.
They entered the second half with a slim 32-30 advantage, and that's when redshirt seniors Brandon Walters and Nick King efficiently took over.
The duo down low combined for 22 points in the second half alone on 9-of-14 shooting, and they also got things done on the backboards, combining for 17 in the game. In total, MT beat the Bulldogs 41-26 in the rebounding battle.
Walters had one of the most efficient offensive games in program history with 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. He finished with three blocks and seven rebounds, four coming on the offensive end.
"I took my time in the paint today," Walters said. "This whole week, coach was just like, 'You need to catch the ball in the paint and just take your time, because when you take your time, no one can guard you down there.' That's what I've been doing, and it's been effective."
King, who went into the game 11th in the country and second in Conference USA averaging 22.9 points per game, finished with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He also had 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and third in a row.
When the big men are both firing on all cylinders, Middle Tennessee is hard to contend with.
"It makes it a lot easier for both of us," King said. "Once both of us get things going in the paint, it's hard for the other's man to help off one of us. It really becomes a one-on-one match."
The Blue Raiders' efficiency on the offensive end in the second half wasn't just limited to Walters and King, either. The whole team showed a better ability moving the ball.
After finishing with a season-low six assists Saturday at Florida Atlantic, MT didn't get off to a good start in that department Thursday, accounting for just four in the first half as it built a two-point halftime advantage.
Once the second half hit, though, the lightbulb seemed to turn on and the crisp ball movement picked up.
Middle Tennessee assisted on seven of its 13 made baskets after the break, led by sophomore point guard Tyrik Dixon. He had nine points in the game and stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high five assists to go with five rebounds and two steals.
"We got into up-tempo [in the second half] and got into transition a little bit," Davis said. "We try to have maybe 70 percent of our baskets assisted, and we're still way under that. We have a way to go in that area, but I thought our play was better."
While they searched for offensive efficiency, the Blue Raiders' stayed strong with the same defensive dominance fans have seen all season.
Conference USA's third-best scoring defense (68.1 points per game) limited the Bulldogs, C-USA's third-highest scoring team (80.5 points per game), to just 37 percent shooting (21-of-57).
Middle Tennessee will try to carry over that strong defense and efficient offense to Saturday, when it gets to stay home for a contest against Southern Miss. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m., and it can be viewed on ESPN3.
It was just the fourth win for MT (12-4, 4-0) in the 15-game series all-time against the Bulldogs (10-8, 1-4) but second in a row.
"There've been a lot of really good games with LA Tech," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "It was good to be home, and we sure appreciate all the fans that came out.
"It was just a good conference win."
The Blue Raiders, who hadn't played a home game in 33 days prior to Thursday, wore down LA Tech with their big men and a dominant defensive display after halftime to get the win.
They entered the second half with a slim 32-30 advantage, and that's when redshirt seniors Brandon Walters and Nick King efficiently took over.
The duo down low combined for 22 points in the second half alone on 9-of-14 shooting, and they also got things done on the backboards, combining for 17 in the game. In total, MT beat the Bulldogs 41-26 in the rebounding battle.
Walters had one of the most efficient offensive games in program history with 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. He finished with three blocks and seven rebounds, four coming on the offensive end.
"I took my time in the paint today," Walters said. "This whole week, coach was just like, 'You need to catch the ball in the paint and just take your time, because when you take your time, no one can guard you down there.' That's what I've been doing, and it's been effective."
King, who went into the game 11th in the country and second in Conference USA averaging 22.9 points per game, finished with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He also had 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and third in a row.
When the big men are both firing on all cylinders, Middle Tennessee is hard to contend with.
"It makes it a lot easier for both of us," King said. "Once both of us get things going in the paint, it's hard for the other's man to help off one of us. It really becomes a one-on-one match."
The Blue Raiders' efficiency on the offensive end in the second half wasn't just limited to Walters and King, either. The whole team showed a better ability moving the ball.
After finishing with a season-low six assists Saturday at Florida Atlantic, MT didn't get off to a good start in that department Thursday, accounting for just four in the first half as it built a two-point halftime advantage.
Once the second half hit, though, the lightbulb seemed to turn on and the crisp ball movement picked up.
Middle Tennessee assisted on seven of its 13 made baskets after the break, led by sophomore point guard Tyrik Dixon. He had nine points in the game and stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high five assists to go with five rebounds and two steals.
"We got into up-tempo [in the second half] and got into transition a little bit," Davis said. "We try to have maybe 70 percent of our baskets assisted, and we're still way under that. We have a way to go in that area, but I thought our play was better."
While they searched for offensive efficiency, the Blue Raiders' stayed strong with the same defensive dominance fans have seen all season.
Conference USA's third-best scoring defense (68.1 points per game) limited the Bulldogs, C-USA's third-highest scoring team (80.5 points per game), to just 37 percent shooting (21-of-57).
Middle Tennessee will try to carry over that strong defense and efficient offense to Saturday, when it gets to stay home for a contest against Southern Miss. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m., and it can be viewed on ESPN3.
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
