Raiders Hoping for First Win in Ruston

RUSTON, La. – With a three-game winning streak in hand, the Blue Raiders head on the road looking for their first ever win at LA Tech in their eighth trip to the Thomas Assembly Center.

GAME INFORMATION
(Full Game Notes)

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Date: Thursday, Feb. 11
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Teams: Middle Tennessee (17-6, 9-2 C-USA) vs. LA Tech (17-6, 6-4 C-USA)
Location: Ruston, La.
Arena: Thomas Assembly Center (8,000)
Radio: WMOT-FM (89.5), WGNS (1450 AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM), Game 2 (102.5/94.9/95.1)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters

Live Audio | Live Stats

GAME NOTES
Downtown Raiders
MT has been deadly from beyond the 3-point line this season and are currently ranked 58th among D-I teams in 3-point percentage (37.4). Sophomore guard Giddy Potts currently leads all NCAA Division I players in 3-point percentage, converting an astonishing 51.9 percent of his attempts from deep. The team has even been better lately, shooting 38.6 percent from deep and making 8.3 threes per game in conference play compared to 36.4 percent and 7.3 threes per game in non-conference play.

Jack of All Trades
Over the last six games, Perrin Buford has done it all for the Blue Raiders. After averaging 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds through the first 17 games, he has averaged 15.5 and 7.2 over the last six games. Starting in the home game against North Texas, Buford has also recorded at least one assist, one block and one steal in each of the last six contests, including a career-high five assists against Florida Atlantic (Feb. 4) and a career-high three steals against Rice (Jan. 23).

Protecting The Rock
Since Jacob Ivory's return against Belmont on Dec. 17, Middle Tennessee has taken better care of the ball, leading to more scoring. The Blue Raiders have dropped from 14.4 turnovers per game while Ivory was out to only 10.9 since his return. The emphasis on protecting the ball has helped the Blue Raiders increase their offensive output from 70.2 points per game to 73.7.

High Percentage Shots
Middle Tennessee is shooting 44.4 percent from the field this season, which lands them right in the middle of the pack in Conference USA and just above the middle of the pack nationally. However, when the Blue Raiders shoot over 40 percent in a game, they are 16-0. When shooting below 40 percent, the Raiders are just 1-6, with the lone win coming at WKU on January 30.

Fantastic Four
Just last season, Middle Tennessee did not have a single player average over 10 points per game. Reggie Upshaw was close at 9.9, but this season MT has four players in double-figures in Upshaw (13.0), Giddy Potts (15.2), Darnell Harris (12.7) and Perrin Buford (11.5).

Upping His Game
Through 23 games, junior forward Reggie Upshaw leads the Blue Raiders in rebounds per game (8.7), defensive rpg (5.7), offensive rpg (3.0), assists per game (2.0) and steals per game (1.4) and ranks in the top seven in Conference USA in each of those categories except assists per game. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native is also second on the team in points per game (13.0) and third in field goal percentage (50.4%). Through 11 conference games this season, Upshaw has increased his numbers in five of those seven categories over his non-conference statistics.

Buford's Best
Through his first 19 games as a Blue Raider, Perrin Buford was averaging just 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes per game. In his last 39 games stretched over two seasons, Buford is averaging 11.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 26.3 minutes per contest.

Series History
On Thursday, the Blue Raiders travel to LA Tech for the 13th meeting between the programs. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 10-2 while the Raiders are looking for their first win in program history in Ruston, La., after dropping a narrow 75-68 decision last January. The Bulldogs have also won all three meetings as Conference USA rivals. Middle's last win in the series was six meetings ago in 1990.

Last Time Out
A clutch free throw from Giddy Potts proved to be the deciding point in a 67-66 thriller Saturday inside the Murphy Center.

Perrin Buford led the Blue Raiders with 16 points and five rebounds. Potts added 15 points and went 4-of-7 from three while adding five boards.

Middle Tennessee (17-6, 9-2) hit 11 three-pointers in the contest, the most they have hit since the conference opener at UAB.

FIU (11-13, 5-6) shot 51.0 percent on the night and outrebounded the Raiders 38-29, but the Panthers committed 14 turnovers to just seven by MT.

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Players Mentioned

Perrin Buford

Darnell Harris

Jacob Ivory

Giddy Potts

Reggie Upshaw

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics