Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, November 21
Conway, SC
10:30 AM
Middle Tennessee
-32,00 CUSA
69
vs
98
Villanova
3-1,0-0Big East
1
2
F
Villanova
53
45
98
Middle Tennessee
28
41
69
Team Stats
VU
MT
FG%
.567
.433
3FG%
.474
.222
FT%
.667
.619
RB
37
33
TO
12
15
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Raiders drop MBI opener to No. 17 Villanova
11/21/2019 1:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CONWAY, S.C. – Middle Tennessee faced a tall task Thursday as they opened the Myrtle Beach Invitational with a short bench and young squad going up against the No. 17 Villanova Wildcats, who have won two of the last four NCAA National Championships, falling by a final score of 98-69.
The Wildcats came out looking like a well-oiled machine inside the HTC Center, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead behind eight points from veteran guard Collin Gillespie and quickly going up double digits on the Blue Raiders as they started 1 for 4 with two turnovers and two fouls just three minutes in.
Back-to-back baskets by Tyson Jackson sandwiched around the 12-minute mark finally got the MT offense into a bit of a rhythm, but the Wildcat offense was uninterested in slowing up.
While the Blue Raiders were showing some fight on both ends of the floor, Villanova was hot from behind the arc where it had started the game 6 for 11.
With the defensive intensity ratcheted up, an Anthony Crump steal in between a 3-pointer and jumper by Donovan Sims began to give Middle Tennessee some momentum, prompting a timeout by Wildcat Head Coach Jay Wright.
"We saw a couple shots go in, and once that happened we started settling down and the ball started flowing better," Sims said. "Their length made it tough for us though and that's hard to replicate in practice, but seeing a few go in got us going a little bit."
The quick break proved to be well timed for Nova, as they would go on to finish the frame on a 21-9 run and take a 53-28 lead fueled by Cole Swider's 21 points into the locker room.
Middle Tennessee shot a very respectable 46 percent (12 for 26) against the national powerhouse in the first half, but had nine turnovers and a 2 for 10 mark from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Villanova shot 61 percent (20 for 33) from the field and 52 percent (11 for 21) from beyond the arc to create a lopsided look on the HTC Center scoreboard.
"We gave up too many quality threes," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "They have great size and elite shooters, and short closeouts or bad closeouts are going to lead to easy 3-pointers for them. When you have elite shooters who share the ball you're very hard to guard."
Without the services of veteran posts Reggie Scurry, DeAndre Dishman and Jo'Vontae Millner, an MT squad that featured as many freshman as anything else continued to fight despite the opponent and deficit.
The Raiders held a 15-14 lead in the second half scoring through the opening nine minutes of the frame, refusing to give in with an opportunity to grow and show their heart against a top tier program.
As the clock wore down Middle Tennessee stayed competitive, finishing with a 41-point second half against the 17th ranked Wildcats inside HTC Center.
"Congratulations to Villanova, they just got off of a great start today," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "Gillespie really got going quick and that got their team going quick."
Sims finished the game as Middle Tennessee's leading scorer, pouring in a season-high 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting.
Junior C.J. Jones added 16 points while Jackson added 12 points and five rebounds. Freshman Eli Lawrence led the Blue Raiders in rebounding for the third consecutive game, finishing his night with 10 points and six rebounds.
Middle Tennessee now awaits the loser of Thursday afternoon's match-up between Mississippi State and Tulane.
The Wildcats came out looking like a well-oiled machine inside the HTC Center, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead behind eight points from veteran guard Collin Gillespie and quickly going up double digits on the Blue Raiders as they started 1 for 4 with two turnovers and two fouls just three minutes in.
Back-to-back baskets by Tyson Jackson sandwiched around the 12-minute mark finally got the MT offense into a bit of a rhythm, but the Wildcat offense was uninterested in slowing up.
While the Blue Raiders were showing some fight on both ends of the floor, Villanova was hot from behind the arc where it had started the game 6 for 11.
With the defensive intensity ratcheted up, an Anthony Crump steal in between a 3-pointer and jumper by Donovan Sims began to give Middle Tennessee some momentum, prompting a timeout by Wildcat Head Coach Jay Wright.
"We saw a couple shots go in, and once that happened we started settling down and the ball started flowing better," Sims said. "Their length made it tough for us though and that's hard to replicate in practice, but seeing a few go in got us going a little bit."
The quick break proved to be well timed for Nova, as they would go on to finish the frame on a 21-9 run and take a 53-28 lead fueled by Cole Swider's 21 points into the locker room.
Middle Tennessee shot a very respectable 46 percent (12 for 26) against the national powerhouse in the first half, but had nine turnovers and a 2 for 10 mark from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Villanova shot 61 percent (20 for 33) from the field and 52 percent (11 for 21) from beyond the arc to create a lopsided look on the HTC Center scoreboard.
"We gave up too many quality threes," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "They have great size and elite shooters, and short closeouts or bad closeouts are going to lead to easy 3-pointers for them. When you have elite shooters who share the ball you're very hard to guard."
Without the services of veteran posts Reggie Scurry, DeAndre Dishman and Jo'Vontae Millner, an MT squad that featured as many freshman as anything else continued to fight despite the opponent and deficit.
The Raiders held a 15-14 lead in the second half scoring through the opening nine minutes of the frame, refusing to give in with an opportunity to grow and show their heart against a top tier program.
As the clock wore down Middle Tennessee stayed competitive, finishing with a 41-point second half against the 17th ranked Wildcats inside HTC Center.
"Congratulations to Villanova, they just got off of a great start today," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "Gillespie really got going quick and that got their team going quick."
Sims finished the game as Middle Tennessee's leading scorer, pouring in a season-high 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting.
Junior C.J. Jones added 16 points while Jackson added 12 points and five rebounds. Freshman Eli Lawrence led the Blue Raiders in rebounding for the third consecutive game, finishing his night with 10 points and six rebounds.
Middle Tennessee now awaits the loser of Thursday afternoon's match-up between Mississippi State and Tulane.
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
