Blue Raiders set to battle the Bonnies

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — After a challenging two games on the road, Middle Tennessee men's basketball returns to the Murphy Center in search of its fifth win of the season as the final non-conference home stand begins with a battle between the Blue Raiders and St. Bonaventure.

Game 12: Middle Tennessee (4-7, 0-0 C-USA) vs. St. Bonaventure (7-4, 0-0 A-10)
» Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019 – 2:00 p.m. CST
» Murphy Center (11,520) – Murfreesboro, Tenn.
» Blue Raider Kids Club exclusive gift giveaway behind section J
» Blue Raider Kids Club high-five tunnel prior to the game
» Inflatables and games on the concourse behind section J
» Season Ticket Holders have an additional opportunity to pick up their beanie behind section P
» Coat Drive benefiting Murfreesboro City Schools students in need behind section P (we prefer to collect children's coats, but all new/gently used coats are acceptable)

About the Blue Raiders
» Middle Tennessee returns back to the friendly confines of the Glass House on Saturday with a 3-1 record at home this season.
» MT is looking to erase its current two-game skid after losses at Murray State and Ole Miss.
» Antonio Green, C.J. Jones, Donovan Sims, and Jayce Johnson have started all 11 games of the 2019-20 season.
» Forward Tyson Jackson was named Conference USA Freshman of the week after a 14-point, 8-rebound game at Ole Miss on Saturday. Jackson was the first MT player since Giddy Potts in February 2015 to be named C-USA Freshman of the Week.
» The Blue Raiders are one of just two teams in Conference USA with two scorers in the top 10 in all of C-USA. Jones is third with 16.8, and Green is 10th at 14.6 points per game.
» Sims is fifth in C-USA in assists per game with 4.1. If he were to finish the season with that mark, it would be the most assists per game by an MT player since Tweety Knight had 4.6 assists per game in 2013-14.
» Senior forward Reggie Scurry will return to the Blue Raiders for Saturday's contest against St. Bonaventure. The NCAA determined Scurry had to sit out 11 games in the 2019-20 season due to a ruling regarding his transfer from Missouri State.

Scouting the Bonnies
» St. Bonaventure is head coached by Mark Schmidt, who has twice taken the Bonnies to the NCAA Tournament and was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2016.
» The Bonnies take a six-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Middle Tennessee. Included in that win streak is a 71-64 victory at Florida Atlantic.
» Ohio is the only common opponent so far between the two teams. Both the Blue Raiders and Bonnies lost by 12 points to the Bobcats in November.
» 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Dominick Welch leads all Bonnies in scoring with 12.8 points per game. Welch is also shooting at 41% from 3-point range and has made 34 3-pointers.
» Point guard Kyle Lofton directs the offense with 12.6 points and 6.8 assists per game.
» In the paint, 6-foot-10 Osun Osunniyi nearly averages a double-double, turning in 9.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.

All-Time vs. St. Bonaventure
» Saturday's game against St. Bonaventure will be the second meeting between the two programs.
» The Bonnies won the first meeting over the Blue Raiders with an 83-69 decision at Murphy Center in 1993.
» Head Coach Nick McDevitt will take on the Bonnies for the first time in his career when the two teams take the floor Saturday afternoon.

Last Time Out
» Tyson Jackson and C.J. Jones had career days, but it wasn't enough as Ole Miss rode a large halftime advantage to the finish line in an 82-64 decision.
» Jones dropped 23 points to tie his career high, which he set earlier this season at Lipscomb.
» Jackson's 14 points on 7-for-7 from the field and eight rebounds helped him become C-USA Freshman of the Week.
» Guard Donovan Sims also had a respectable game at Ole Miss, contributing 14 points and seven assists in 34 minutes on the floor.
» The Blue Raiders fought hard in the second half once again, only being outscored by one point in the last 20 minutes.

Next Time Out
» MT will be back at the Murphy Center for the non-conference finale against Rhode Island on Dec. 29.
» Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. against the Rams and can be streamed on CUSA.tv.
» Before the Blue Raiders take on Rhode Island, the Middle Tennessee women's basketball team will play TCU, with tipoff of that game beginning at 1 p.m.

For all the latest information on Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball, follow the #BlueRaiders on Facebook (@MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (MT_MBB).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Antonio Green

Tyson Jackson

Jayce Johnson

C.J. Jones

Reggie Scurry

Donovan Sims

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics