Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, December 5
Murfreesboro, TN
5:00 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
5-2
68
vs
55
South Alabama
3-5
1
2
F
South Alabama
29
26
55
Middle Tennessee
31
37
68
Team Stats
USA
MT
FG%
.339
.458
3FG%
.231
.579
FT%
.571
.591
RB
30
45
TO
14
19
STL
12
5
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballPotts' Double-Double Leads MT Past USA, 68-55
12/5/2015 8:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Darnell Harris added a team-high 20 points
By Connor Grott, GBR Beat Writer
MURFREESBORO – Behind stellar defensive play and a record-setting performance by Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee (5-2) grinded to its first win of the 2015-16 season inside the Murphy Center, 68-55, over Sun Belt foe South Alabama.
Potts dropped 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a scorching 5-of-8 mark from three-point territory.He also added a career-high 14 rebounds, giving the sophomore guard his first-career double-double as a Blue Raider, and the first double-double for an MT guard since Marcos Knight in 2013 against FIU.
"Giddy Potts… how about him," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "17 points and 14 rebounds for a guard. He just went and got all those rebounds with two hands every time. I thought he played really good tonight."
On the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Raiders held South Alabama to 33.9 percent shooting (20-of-59) from the field, and 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from three-point range.
It's the second-consecutive game that the Blue Raiders have held an opponent to under 35 percent shooting from the floor, as they held VCU to 31.7 percent on Dec. 2.
Perhaps more impressive was MT's defense in critical moments of the game.
South Alabama's (3-5) John Brown knocked down a jumper to give the Jaguars a 39-38 advantage at the 15:10 mark in the second half.
That was the last shot South Alabama converted for over seven minutes, as the Blue Raiders held the Jaguars to a 0-for-9 mark on field goals over that stretch.
Turning that defensive effort into offense, MT went on an 11-0 run that pushed the Blue Raiders to a double-digit lead.
"I told our team, when you're tough and physical when defending, you can win games," Davis explained. "We held another team to 33 percent [shooting], so that's two teams that have shot about 32 percent, and they're teams that can score a lot. We're making some strides defensively."
Senior forward Darnell Harris had a solid performance as he posted a season-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point territory.
Defensively, Harris was just as dominant, as he had a career-high four blocks.
"We started out a little sluggish, but we just stayed with it," Harris said about the win. "We found a way to win and that's really all that matters. We'll come back next week and try to get better."
Perrin Buford added 11 points and six rebounds to round out the Blue Raiders' double-digit scorers.
Offensively, the Blue Raiders exploded out of the gates Saturday night, due in large part to the long ball.
Consecutive three-pointers from Buford, Potts and Harris gave MT a quick 12-4 lead two minutes into the contest.
Early on in the first half, freshman forward Karl Gamble, who played a career-high 10 minutes, made his presence known after slamming home a dunk to give the Blue Raiders a 16-9 advantage.
Another three-ball by Potts gave Middle Tennessee its first double-digit lead of the game, 19-9, with 11:54 remaining in the opening half.
A layup by junior transfer Aldonis Foote pushed the Blue Raiders to their largest lead of the first half, 23-11, with 7:57 to go in the first.
MT utilized a 5-0 run by Harris, who converted two free throws and dropped in a three, to reclaim a 29-19 advantage, as the Blue Raiders eventually went into halftime with a 31-29 lead.
With 15:10 left in the game, the Jaguars held a small 39-38 advantage, which proved to be the last lead they would hold.
Using an 11-0 run over five minutes, the Blue Raiders took a 49-39 lead, capped off by another 5-0 run by Harris.
A big three-pointer from Harris and clutch free-throw shooting, allowed the Blue Raiders to go on a 9-0 run to seal the 68-55 victory.
Middle Tennessee will take a week off to prepare its game against Auburn in Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 12. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 12 p.m.
MURFREESBORO – Behind stellar defensive play and a record-setting performance by Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee (5-2) grinded to its first win of the 2015-16 season inside the Murphy Center, 68-55, over Sun Belt foe South Alabama.
Potts dropped 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a scorching 5-of-8 mark from three-point territory.He also added a career-high 14 rebounds, giving the sophomore guard his first-career double-double as a Blue Raider, and the first double-double for an MT guard since Marcos Knight in 2013 against FIU.
"Giddy Potts… how about him," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "17 points and 14 rebounds for a guard. He just went and got all those rebounds with two hands every time. I thought he played really good tonight."
On the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Raiders held South Alabama to 33.9 percent shooting (20-of-59) from the field, and 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from three-point range.
It's the second-consecutive game that the Blue Raiders have held an opponent to under 35 percent shooting from the floor, as they held VCU to 31.7 percent on Dec. 2.
Perhaps more impressive was MT's defense in critical moments of the game.
South Alabama's (3-5) John Brown knocked down a jumper to give the Jaguars a 39-38 advantage at the 15:10 mark in the second half.
That was the last shot South Alabama converted for over seven minutes, as the Blue Raiders held the Jaguars to a 0-for-9 mark on field goals over that stretch.
Turning that defensive effort into offense, MT went on an 11-0 run that pushed the Blue Raiders to a double-digit lead.
"I told our team, when you're tough and physical when defending, you can win games," Davis explained. "We held another team to 33 percent [shooting], so that's two teams that have shot about 32 percent, and they're teams that can score a lot. We're making some strides defensively."
Senior forward Darnell Harris had a solid performance as he posted a season-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point territory.
Defensively, Harris was just as dominant, as he had a career-high four blocks.
"We started out a little sluggish, but we just stayed with it," Harris said about the win. "We found a way to win and that's really all that matters. We'll come back next week and try to get better."
Perrin Buford added 11 points and six rebounds to round out the Blue Raiders' double-digit scorers.
Offensively, the Blue Raiders exploded out of the gates Saturday night, due in large part to the long ball.
Consecutive three-pointers from Buford, Potts and Harris gave MT a quick 12-4 lead two minutes into the contest.
Early on in the first half, freshman forward Karl Gamble, who played a career-high 10 minutes, made his presence known after slamming home a dunk to give the Blue Raiders a 16-9 advantage.
Another three-ball by Potts gave Middle Tennessee its first double-digit lead of the game, 19-9, with 11:54 remaining in the opening half.
A layup by junior transfer Aldonis Foote pushed the Blue Raiders to their largest lead of the first half, 23-11, with 7:57 to go in the first.
MT utilized a 5-0 run by Harris, who converted two free throws and dropped in a three, to reclaim a 29-19 advantage, as the Blue Raiders eventually went into halftime with a 31-29 lead.
With 15:10 left in the game, the Jaguars held a small 39-38 advantage, which proved to be the last lead they would hold.
Using an 11-0 run over five minutes, the Blue Raiders took a 49-39 lead, capped off by another 5-0 run by Harris.
A big three-pointer from Harris and clutch free-throw shooting, allowed the Blue Raiders to go on a 9-0 run to seal the 68-55 victory.
Middle Tennessee will take a week off to prepare its game against Auburn in Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 12. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 12 p.m.
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