Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Monday, November 12
Nashville, TN
7 PM
Middle Tennessee
2-1
73
at
92
Belmont
2-0
1
2
F
Middle Tennessee
54
19
73
Belmont
46
46
92
Team Stats
MT
BEL
FG%
.409
.538
3FG%
.263
.316
FT%
.737
.667
RB
40
36
TO
21
13
STL
7
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Blue Raiders fall after strong first half at Belmont
11/12/2018 9:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With an ailing head coach, Middle Tennessee went on the road and succumbed to a second-half run by Belmont.
The Blue Raiders (1-1) led by as many as 11 points in the first half but couldn't keep the Bruins (2-0) at bay after the break, falling 92-73.
After making the short trip to the Curb Event Center in Nashville, head coach Nick McDevitt gave it a go on the sidelines, but he couldn't will the blue and white to victory while ailing from a stomach bug.
"I thought [Belmont] played very well and organized, in the second half particularly," he said. "I thought we did a lot of nice things tonight for a good portion of the game, but we were at times a little unorganized offensively."
Middle Tennessee took a 54-46 lead to the halftime break after a terrific offensive display, shooting 56.8 percent (21-37) from the floor and only committing seven turnovers.
The Blue Raider offense looked as under the weather as its coach from there, though, and Belmont took advantage.
Almost four minutes into the second half, the Bruins had erased the MT halftime lead with an 8-0 run, and it would take another almost three minutes until the Raiders finally scored.
At the end of Belmont's 16-0 run to start the half, it held a 62-54 advantage and had snatched all the momentum. Middle Tennessee couldn't recover.
The Bruins led by as many as 21 as the Blue Raiders shot 20.7 percent from the field (6-29) in the second half and turned the ball over 14 times.
"We just didn't respond," redshirt junior Antonio Green said. "We knew they were going to make a run and talked about it at halftime, but we just didn't respond at all."
The inconsistent offensive display was something the coaching staff expected at times early in the season with only 15.2 percent of Middle Tennessee's minutes played returning from last season.
"It was our first game on the road, and with our young team, for a lot of our young guys it was their first time playing on the road," McDevitt said. "We talked several times in the huddle about [how to respond to a run] … and there were some good things in there, but there were some things that we can watch in the film that we can work on and that our team can get better from."
Middle Tennessee was led offensively by 20 points from senior Karl Gamble, his second straight game setting a career high after having 16 against Milligan. He shot 7 for 13 from the floor and also tied the team high with eight rebounds.
Green added 17 points, six rebounds and three assists after back-to-back 24-point performances in the Blue Raiders' first two contests. Donovan Sims added 13 points and Reggie Scurry rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.
The blue and white will return home to Murphy Center on Friday, Nov. 16, for a matchup with Charleston Southern before the Raiders leave for the Battle 4 Atlantis Thanksgiving tournament from Nov. 21-23.
"We just need to recognize what we need to work on and go out and do it every day at practice," Green said.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
The Blue Raiders (1-1) led by as many as 11 points in the first half but couldn't keep the Bruins (2-0) at bay after the break, falling 92-73.
After making the short trip to the Curb Event Center in Nashville, head coach Nick McDevitt gave it a go on the sidelines, but he couldn't will the blue and white to victory while ailing from a stomach bug.
"I thought [Belmont] played very well and organized, in the second half particularly," he said. "I thought we did a lot of nice things tonight for a good portion of the game, but we were at times a little unorganized offensively."
Middle Tennessee took a 54-46 lead to the halftime break after a terrific offensive display, shooting 56.8 percent (21-37) from the floor and only committing seven turnovers.
The Blue Raider offense looked as under the weather as its coach from there, though, and Belmont took advantage.
Almost four minutes into the second half, the Bruins had erased the MT halftime lead with an 8-0 run, and it would take another almost three minutes until the Raiders finally scored.
At the end of Belmont's 16-0 run to start the half, it held a 62-54 advantage and had snatched all the momentum. Middle Tennessee couldn't recover.
The Bruins led by as many as 21 as the Blue Raiders shot 20.7 percent from the field (6-29) in the second half and turned the ball over 14 times.
"We just didn't respond," redshirt junior Antonio Green said. "We knew they were going to make a run and talked about it at halftime, but we just didn't respond at all."
The inconsistent offensive display was something the coaching staff expected at times early in the season with only 15.2 percent of Middle Tennessee's minutes played returning from last season.
"It was our first game on the road, and with our young team, for a lot of our young guys it was their first time playing on the road," McDevitt said. "We talked several times in the huddle about [how to respond to a run] … and there were some good things in there, but there were some things that we can watch in the film that we can work on and that our team can get better from."
Middle Tennessee was led offensively by 20 points from senior Karl Gamble, his second straight game setting a career high after having 16 against Milligan. He shot 7 for 13 from the floor and also tied the team high with eight rebounds.
Green added 17 points, six rebounds and three assists after back-to-back 24-point performances in the Blue Raiders' first two contests. Donovan Sims added 13 points and Reggie Scurry rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.
The blue and white will return home to Murphy Center on Friday, Nov. 16, for a matchup with Charleston Southern before the Raiders leave for the Battle 4 Atlantis Thanksgiving tournament from Nov. 21-23.
"We just need to recognize what we need to work on and go out and do it every day at practice," Green said.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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
