Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, November 24
Conway, SC
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
63
vs
75
Ohio
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Raiders drop MBI finale to Ohio
11/24/2019 8:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CONWAY, S.C. – After entering the week with high hopes for the Myrtle Beach Invitational, a young Middle Tennessee squad with a short bench fell in their weekend finale against Ohio on Sunday by a final score of 75-63.
Struggles on both ends were the story of the night, as the Blue Raider defense allowed Ohio to shoot 42.1 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3-point range while only hitting on 37.3 percent of their field goal attempts and a lackluster 28.6 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
"We've got to get better defensively," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "We're not stringing together stops and when we've been aggressive on the ball we end up fouling. We've got to learn how to guard the ball aggressively without fouling."
Leading scorers C.J. Jones (19.3 ppg) and Antonio Green (18.2) were held in check on the offensive end with 13 points apiece while fellow guard Donovan Sims joined them in double figures with 10 points.
The Blue Raiders got off to their best start of the week on Sunday, scoring first for the first time in the tournament.
Sims got the show started with back-to-back triples, and it wasn't long before Jones and Green got involved in the offense to put MT up 11-7 on 4 of 6 shooting at the first media timeout.
The Bobcats buckled down, though, and with careless Raider turnovers helping them out, opened a 7-0 run in which they held MT scoreless for more than three minutes to take a 3-point lead through eight minutes.
Middle Tennessee settled in and began protecting the ball as the first half wore on, but struggled to see the offense flow efficiently and settled for too many bad jump shots in the early going.
Down 14 and needing a spark coming out of the under-4 media timeout, freshman Eli Lawrence dropped in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer before a Sims scoop layup on the ensuing possession drew the Raiders back within single digits.
Ohio quickly responded with another 7-0 run, however, and finished the half strong to go into the locker room with a 43-29 advantage.
A lack of urgency continued to hamper the Blue Raiders after the break and they quickly found themselves down 20 with 15:28 on the clock.
A pair of buckets each by Jones and Lawrence on four straight possessions finally gave Middle Tennessee some life, and with three stops in four Ohio trips down the court closed the gap to 14 with 12:16 remaining to force a Bobcat timeout.
The Blue Raiders would continue to hang around, but failed to make the run they desperately needed to make it a contest late.
Middle Tennessee returns to Murfreesboro for a much-needed home game, hosting in-state foe Belmont Saturday in Murphy Center.
Struggles on both ends were the story of the night, as the Blue Raider defense allowed Ohio to shoot 42.1 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3-point range while only hitting on 37.3 percent of their field goal attempts and a lackluster 28.6 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
"We've got to get better defensively," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "We're not stringing together stops and when we've been aggressive on the ball we end up fouling. We've got to learn how to guard the ball aggressively without fouling."
Leading scorers C.J. Jones (19.3 ppg) and Antonio Green (18.2) were held in check on the offensive end with 13 points apiece while fellow guard Donovan Sims joined them in double figures with 10 points.
The Blue Raiders got off to their best start of the week on Sunday, scoring first for the first time in the tournament.
Sims got the show started with back-to-back triples, and it wasn't long before Jones and Green got involved in the offense to put MT up 11-7 on 4 of 6 shooting at the first media timeout.
The Bobcats buckled down, though, and with careless Raider turnovers helping them out, opened a 7-0 run in which they held MT scoreless for more than three minutes to take a 3-point lead through eight minutes.
Middle Tennessee settled in and began protecting the ball as the first half wore on, but struggled to see the offense flow efficiently and settled for too many bad jump shots in the early going.
Down 14 and needing a spark coming out of the under-4 media timeout, freshman Eli Lawrence dropped in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer before a Sims scoop layup on the ensuing possession drew the Raiders back within single digits.
Ohio quickly responded with another 7-0 run, however, and finished the half strong to go into the locker room with a 43-29 advantage.
A lack of urgency continued to hamper the Blue Raiders after the break and they quickly found themselves down 20 with 15:28 on the clock.
A pair of buckets each by Jones and Lawrence on four straight possessions finally gave Middle Tennessee some life, and with three stops in four Ohio trips down the court closed the gap to 14 with 12:16 remaining to force a Bobcat timeout.
The Blue Raiders would continue to hang around, but failed to make the run they desperately needed to make it a contest late.
Middle Tennessee returns to Murfreesboro for a much-needed home game, hosting in-state foe Belmont Saturday in Murphy Center.
2025 MTSU Basketball tickets on sale now - October 1st
Wednesday, October 01
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
