Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, November 9
Nashville, TN
3:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
2-0
73
at
70
Lipscomb
1-1
1
2
F
Middle Tennessee
37
36
73
Lipscomb
31
39
70
Team Stats
MT
LIP
FG%
.404
.375
3FG%
.433
.281
FT%
.824
.813
RB
35
41
TO
20
18
STL
8
4
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Photo by: Devin P. Grimes/MT Athletic Communications
Jones, Green lead MT to thrilling win at Lipscomb
11/9/2019 5:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee hadn't played on the Lipscomb University campus since 1961 before Saturday. The Blue Raiders might want go ahead and schedule that next trip.
After a tough few minutes offensively down the stretch in the second half, MT (2-0) was granted a clutch couple of plays from junior C.J. Jones and senior Antonio Green and held on to beat the Bisons (1-1) 73-70 at Allen Arena.
"We were able to gut one out here on the road," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "I like the fact that we stuck together, executed down the stretch and were able to come out of here with a great road win."
Both defenses dominated for stretches of the second half, and the critical run came from Lipscomb.
The Bisons trailed by as many as nine after halftime but held MT scoreless for a stretch of more than five minutes as it crept back into the game then took a three-point lead with 4:33 left.
Lipscomb's lead would last all the way until the 2:51 mark, when Jones came up big, hitting a midrange jumper while getting fouled. He sunk the free throw to tie the game, ending a scoreless streak of more than five minutes for the Blue Raiders.
"[Jones] was terrific on both sides of the floor," McDevitt said. "He made a big and-one to tie the game, a big three at the top of the key and had a deflection in our zone late in the game … those are big-time plays."
Jones wasn't done being clutch.
After Green sunk a 3-pointer to again tie the game, Lipscomb got a bucket with 39 seconds left to go up two. On the ensuing possession, Jones came around a screen at the top of the key, caught the pass and unloaded a dagger three that was nothing but net.
Middle Tennessee then got four free throws from Green, and on the defensive end, Jones got his hand on a pass for a steal to ice it.
"We were locked in all week," Jones said. "Coach talked the whole week about getting into a defensive stance, and even if your player doesn't have the ball, you can make a steal on back screens and backdoor cuts. We had to make plays late to get this win."
The Blue Raiders didn't exactly light the gym on fire in the first nine minutes of the contest, making just three of their first 14 shots and turning the ball five times.
They trailed 16-12 after a Lipscomb 3-pointer with 10:21 left in the half, but when Jones responded with a trey of his own 11 seconds later, the flood gates opened in a big way.
Middle Tennessee made its next six shots over a five-minute stretch, five of them from distance, turning the four-point deficit into a lead of as many as 13 in the half. It eventually went to the locker room with a 37-31 halftime advantage.
"At times we didn't execute some plays, but we just found a way to win," McDevitt said. "We had some guys who didn't play particularly well at times tonight … but you still have to find a way to win. We did that tonight."
Jones was the high man for MT with 23 points, hitting 8-of-13 shots, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds.
Green also stuffed the state sheet with 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Freshmen Tyler Millin and Tyson Jackson were also in double-figure scoring with 11 and 10, respectively.
While it wasn't always pretty, the fact that the Blue Raiders' youngsters — five of the nine players who saw the floor were freshmen or sophomores — got a gritty win in the second game of the season was a good sign moving forward.
"We just found a way to win, and hopefully this will serve us well going forward," McDevitt said. "Particularly for a young team … for them to figure out how to win on the road and stay together, hopefully that helps us grow up a little bit."
For all the latest information on Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball, follow the #BlueRaiders on Facebook (@MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (MT_MBB).
After a tough few minutes offensively down the stretch in the second half, MT (2-0) was granted a clutch couple of plays from junior C.J. Jones and senior Antonio Green and held on to beat the Bisons (1-1) 73-70 at Allen Arena.
"We were able to gut one out here on the road," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "I like the fact that we stuck together, executed down the stretch and were able to come out of here with a great road win."
Both defenses dominated for stretches of the second half, and the critical run came from Lipscomb.
The Bisons trailed by as many as nine after halftime but held MT scoreless for a stretch of more than five minutes as it crept back into the game then took a three-point lead with 4:33 left.
Lipscomb's lead would last all the way until the 2:51 mark, when Jones came up big, hitting a midrange jumper while getting fouled. He sunk the free throw to tie the game, ending a scoreless streak of more than five minutes for the Blue Raiders.
"[Jones] was terrific on both sides of the floor," McDevitt said. "He made a big and-one to tie the game, a big three at the top of the key and had a deflection in our zone late in the game … those are big-time plays."
Jones wasn't done being clutch.
After Green sunk a 3-pointer to again tie the game, Lipscomb got a bucket with 39 seconds left to go up two. On the ensuing possession, Jones came around a screen at the top of the key, caught the pass and unloaded a dagger three that was nothing but net.
Middle Tennessee then got four free throws from Green, and on the defensive end, Jones got his hand on a pass for a steal to ice it.
"We were locked in all week," Jones said. "Coach talked the whole week about getting into a defensive stance, and even if your player doesn't have the ball, you can make a steal on back screens and backdoor cuts. We had to make plays late to get this win."
The Blue Raiders didn't exactly light the gym on fire in the first nine minutes of the contest, making just three of their first 14 shots and turning the ball five times.
They trailed 16-12 after a Lipscomb 3-pointer with 10:21 left in the half, but when Jones responded with a trey of his own 11 seconds later, the flood gates opened in a big way.
Middle Tennessee made its next six shots over a five-minute stretch, five of them from distance, turning the four-point deficit into a lead of as many as 13 in the half. It eventually went to the locker room with a 37-31 halftime advantage.
"At times we didn't execute some plays, but we just found a way to win," McDevitt said. "We had some guys who didn't play particularly well at times tonight … but you still have to find a way to win. We did that tonight."
Jones was the high man for MT with 23 points, hitting 8-of-13 shots, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds.
Green also stuffed the state sheet with 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Freshmen Tyler Millin and Tyson Jackson were also in double-figure scoring with 11 and 10, respectively.
While it wasn't always pretty, the fact that the Blue Raiders' youngsters — five of the nine players who saw the floor were freshmen or sophomores — got a gritty win in the second game of the season was a good sign moving forward.
"We just found a way to win, and hopefully this will serve us well going forward," McDevitt said. "Particularly for a young team … for them to figure out how to win on the road and stay together, hopefully that helps us grow up a little bit."
For all the latest information on Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball, follow the #BlueRaiders on Facebook (@MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (MT_MBB).
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