Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, November 22
Conway, SC
11:00 AM
Middle Tennessee
-33,00 CUSA
74
vs
86
Tulane
4-1,0-0AAC
1
2
F
Middle Tennessee
25
49
74
Tulane
42
44
86
Team Stats
MT
TULANE
FG%
.517
.480
3FG%
.385
.500
FT%
.571
.867
RB
28
30
TO
17
16
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Comeback bid falls short against Green Wave
11/22/2019 1:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CONWAY, S.C. – Middle Tennessee began to click offensively as well as it had all week early Friday afternoon, but the defense continued to struggle against Tulane as the Green Wave staved off a spirited second half run to emerge victorious, 86-74.
Tulane – much like Villanova the day before – poured it in from the 3-point line to the tune of a 12 for 24 mark while also shooting 48 percent from the field on the day.
"We put ourselves in a bad spot giving up 86 points today, and we just couldn't guard the 3-point line," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "When we did get out there, they drove us and got to the free throw line. They shot 30 free throws today to our seven, and that shows you who the aggressor was in this one."
Another slow start built a small hole for the Blue Raiders early, but it didn't take long for a fire to be lit on the defensive end as a pair of early steals by Donovan Sims helped turn an 11-2 deficit back into a 4-point game.
The offensive continued to scuffle, however, opening the game 3 for 10 from the field and 1 for 6 from beyond the arc forcing the Blue Raiders to rely on its defense to keep the game close by forcing six early Green Wave turnovers.
"I thought we were getting quality looks early on … that just didn't go in," McDevitt added. "Our defending was just defending okay and we weren't getting enough baskets to go. In turn, I think missing some quality looks affected us on the defensive end early on."
The woes would continue throughout much of the first half with Jayce Johnson providing the lone bright spot in the scoring column at 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the frame.
The remainder of Middle Tennessee's roster would shoot just 5 for 21 from the field and 1 for 10 from three before the break while Tulane was over 50 percent from the field (12 for 23) and beyond the arc (6 for 10) to take a 17-point lead into the locker room.
Johnson got the Blue Raiders going in the second half with another bucket in the paint cutting the deficit to 15, and improved energy saw MT connect on three of their first four shots of the second half.
Tulane came out hotter in the second half than it was in the first, however, connecting on four of its first five 3-pointers in the opening seven minutes to quickly extend its lead to 24 points.
Middle Tennessee finally began seeing some 3-pointers of their own fall as the second half wore on, with Sims, C.J. Jones, Antonio Green and Anthony Crump all knocking in triples as the 9-minute mark approached to get back within 18.
After a second consecutive trifecta by Crump, a jump hook off the glass by Tyson Jackson and a corner three by Sims made it an 11-2 run for the Raiders, the score had moved to 69-57 and MT was showing signs of some fight.
The Blue Raiders cut it to nine with 5:09 on the clock and couldn't be deterred once they found their stroke, but the game clock was beginning to come into play in the comeback bid.
With the final minutes ticking off, Middle Tennessee would only get as close as eight as Tulane iced it at the free throw line inside the final minute.
"We're going to go back and watch film and grow from this. Small mistakes show up in a big way on this kind of stage, especially against quality teams from the Big East and the American (Athletic Conference)."
Jones led the way with a 20-point effort, 15 of which came after the break, while Sims added 11 points – all in the second frame – and a career-high nine assists.
Johnson finished with 12 points but was stymied on the glass without a rebound in the contest.
Green tallied 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, the former putting him over the 1,500-point mark for his collegiate career.
The Blue Raiders will conclude the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Sunday, facing off against either Ohio or Utah at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Tulane – much like Villanova the day before – poured it in from the 3-point line to the tune of a 12 for 24 mark while also shooting 48 percent from the field on the day.
"We put ourselves in a bad spot giving up 86 points today, and we just couldn't guard the 3-point line," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "When we did get out there, they drove us and got to the free throw line. They shot 30 free throws today to our seven, and that shows you who the aggressor was in this one."
Another slow start built a small hole for the Blue Raiders early, but it didn't take long for a fire to be lit on the defensive end as a pair of early steals by Donovan Sims helped turn an 11-2 deficit back into a 4-point game.
The offensive continued to scuffle, however, opening the game 3 for 10 from the field and 1 for 6 from beyond the arc forcing the Blue Raiders to rely on its defense to keep the game close by forcing six early Green Wave turnovers.
"I thought we were getting quality looks early on … that just didn't go in," McDevitt added. "Our defending was just defending okay and we weren't getting enough baskets to go. In turn, I think missing some quality looks affected us on the defensive end early on."
The woes would continue throughout much of the first half with Jayce Johnson providing the lone bright spot in the scoring column at 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the frame.
The remainder of Middle Tennessee's roster would shoot just 5 for 21 from the field and 1 for 10 from three before the break while Tulane was over 50 percent from the field (12 for 23) and beyond the arc (6 for 10) to take a 17-point lead into the locker room.
Johnson got the Blue Raiders going in the second half with another bucket in the paint cutting the deficit to 15, and improved energy saw MT connect on three of their first four shots of the second half.
Tulane came out hotter in the second half than it was in the first, however, connecting on four of its first five 3-pointers in the opening seven minutes to quickly extend its lead to 24 points.
Middle Tennessee finally began seeing some 3-pointers of their own fall as the second half wore on, with Sims, C.J. Jones, Antonio Green and Anthony Crump all knocking in triples as the 9-minute mark approached to get back within 18.
After a second consecutive trifecta by Crump, a jump hook off the glass by Tyson Jackson and a corner three by Sims made it an 11-2 run for the Raiders, the score had moved to 69-57 and MT was showing signs of some fight.
The Blue Raiders cut it to nine with 5:09 on the clock and couldn't be deterred once they found their stroke, but the game clock was beginning to come into play in the comeback bid.
With the final minutes ticking off, Middle Tennessee would only get as close as eight as Tulane iced it at the free throw line inside the final minute.
"We're going to go back and watch film and grow from this. Small mistakes show up in a big way on this kind of stage, especially against quality teams from the Big East and the American (Athletic Conference)."
Jones led the way with a 20-point effort, 15 of which came after the break, while Sims added 11 points – all in the second frame – and a career-high nine assists.
Johnson finished with 12 points but was stymied on the glass without a rebound in the contest.
Green tallied 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, the former putting him over the 1,500-point mark for his collegiate career.
The Blue Raiders will conclude the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Sunday, facing off against either Ohio or Utah at 6:30 p.m. CT.
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
