Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, December 21
Murfreesboro, TN
2:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-48,00 CUSA
65
vs
66
St. Bonaventure
8-4,0-0Atlantic
1
2
F
St. Bonaventure
27
39
66
Middle Tennessee
26
39
65
Team Stats
SBU
MT
FG%
.419
.408
3FG%
.267
.423
FT%
.909
.667
RB
36
33
TO
11
16
STL
8
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Raiders drop 66-65 heartbreaker to St. Bonaventure
12/21/2019 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jones pours in career-high 26
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Reinforcements arrived in Murphy Center Saturday afternoon in the form of veteran posts Reggie Scurry and Jo'Vontae Millner, but a much-improved performance fell just short in the final moments as the Blue Raiders dropped a 66-65 heartbreaker to St. Bonaventure.
"We're very glad to have Reggie and Jo'Vontae back on the court for us," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "I thought that was a hard-fought, physical game, and it just came down to a couple of possessions at the end of the game that went (St. Bonaventure's) way because of what they did."
C.J. Jones led the charge as Middle Tennessee fought tooth and nail with one of the Atlantic 10's heavy hitters, dropping a career-high 26 points on the Bonnies behind an 8 for 12 day shooting that included a 6 of 8 performance from 3-point range.
The Blue Raiders ratcheted up the defensive intensity significantly with Scurry and Millner back in the rotation on Saturday.
The returning duo and freshman Tyson Jackson each logged a block in the first six minutes while junior Donovan Sims put the Blue Raiders up 5-0 early with a corner triple and a driving layup off the glass.
"Having physical guys like Reggie and Tyson in the post together obviously helps our defense, but it also allows us to put Jayce (Johnson) back on the perimeter as a really physical presence on our opponents' top guards," McDevitt added.
Despite coming off the bench to make way for Scurry's return to the starting lineup, Johnson tallied nine points, six rebounds and six assists to just one turnover as his minutes in the guard rotation increased.
"It was nice to play a position that's a more natural for me, but it also helps my passing into the post to have played down there and have a better understanding of their positions," Johnson stated.
Middle Tennessee held the Bonnies scoreless for four and a half minutes and reversed their 3-point defense woes by denying SBU a 3-pointer for more than eight minutes to open the contest.
It wasn't until the 3:24 mark of the first half that St. Bonaventure took its first lead of the afternoon, answering a Jones triple with a 5-0 run out of a 30-second timeout to go up 26-25.
SBU maintained a one-point lead going into halftime, leading 27-26 with an 11 for 31 (.355) performance from the field and a 2 for 9 (.222) mark from beyond the arc.
Despite its reinvigorated efforts on defense, Middle Tennessee struggled on the opposite end before the break, hitting just 8 of 25 (.320) field goal attempts and 3 of 13 (.231) 3-pointers before the break.
The Blue Raiders took the lead back just 90 seconds into the second half with a Jones triple from the wing making the score 31-29, and the back-and-forth battle would continue from that point on.
As the final media timeout approached, the momentum swung heavily in the Raiders' favor after Jones' sixth triple of the night gave MT its biggest lead in over 20 minutes of game time.
The raucous Murphy Center crowd would come crashing down, though, as a crucial jump ball with 30 seconds left and the lead down to one gave the ball back the Bonnies.
SBU had a chance to milk the clock but took and made their shot with 11 seconds on the clock, leaving Middle Tennessee one last chance to win it.
McDevitt drew up a play in the team's final timeout the worked to perfection, giving senior guard Antonio Green a wide open look from the right wing.
The shot rotated perfectly towards the rim, but came up just long as it bounced off the back of the rim and into a defender's hands as time ran out.
"This one hurts because we know we played well enough to win, but we just have to learn from it and move on to the next one now," Jones said. "We can't hang our heads on this one and expect to change the result in the next one. We're going to get right back to work."
After a quick Christmas break with their families, the Blue Raiders return to Murfreesboro to wrap up the decade with a Dec. 29 tilt against another top A-10 team in Rhode Island.
That contest will tip at approximately 3:30 p.m. following the Blue Raider women's basketball game against TCU.
"We're very glad to have Reggie and Jo'Vontae back on the court for us," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "I thought that was a hard-fought, physical game, and it just came down to a couple of possessions at the end of the game that went (St. Bonaventure's) way because of what they did."
C.J. Jones led the charge as Middle Tennessee fought tooth and nail with one of the Atlantic 10's heavy hitters, dropping a career-high 26 points on the Bonnies behind an 8 for 12 day shooting that included a 6 of 8 performance from 3-point range.
The Blue Raiders ratcheted up the defensive intensity significantly with Scurry and Millner back in the rotation on Saturday.
The returning duo and freshman Tyson Jackson each logged a block in the first six minutes while junior Donovan Sims put the Blue Raiders up 5-0 early with a corner triple and a driving layup off the glass.
"Having physical guys like Reggie and Tyson in the post together obviously helps our defense, but it also allows us to put Jayce (Johnson) back on the perimeter as a really physical presence on our opponents' top guards," McDevitt added.
Despite coming off the bench to make way for Scurry's return to the starting lineup, Johnson tallied nine points, six rebounds and six assists to just one turnover as his minutes in the guard rotation increased.
"It was nice to play a position that's a more natural for me, but it also helps my passing into the post to have played down there and have a better understanding of their positions," Johnson stated.
Middle Tennessee held the Bonnies scoreless for four and a half minutes and reversed their 3-point defense woes by denying SBU a 3-pointer for more than eight minutes to open the contest.
It wasn't until the 3:24 mark of the first half that St. Bonaventure took its first lead of the afternoon, answering a Jones triple with a 5-0 run out of a 30-second timeout to go up 26-25.
SBU maintained a one-point lead going into halftime, leading 27-26 with an 11 for 31 (.355) performance from the field and a 2 for 9 (.222) mark from beyond the arc.
Despite its reinvigorated efforts on defense, Middle Tennessee struggled on the opposite end before the break, hitting just 8 of 25 (.320) field goal attempts and 3 of 13 (.231) 3-pointers before the break.
The Blue Raiders took the lead back just 90 seconds into the second half with a Jones triple from the wing making the score 31-29, and the back-and-forth battle would continue from that point on.
As the final media timeout approached, the momentum swung heavily in the Raiders' favor after Jones' sixth triple of the night gave MT its biggest lead in over 20 minutes of game time.
The raucous Murphy Center crowd would come crashing down, though, as a crucial jump ball with 30 seconds left and the lead down to one gave the ball back the Bonnies.
SBU had a chance to milk the clock but took and made their shot with 11 seconds on the clock, leaving Middle Tennessee one last chance to win it.
McDevitt drew up a play in the team's final timeout the worked to perfection, giving senior guard Antonio Green a wide open look from the right wing.
The shot rotated perfectly towards the rim, but came up just long as it bounced off the back of the rim and into a defender's hands as time ran out.
"This one hurts because we know we played well enough to win, but we just have to learn from it and move on to the next one now," Jones said. "We can't hang our heads on this one and expect to change the result in the next one. We're going to get right back to work."
After a quick Christmas break with their families, the Blue Raiders return to Murfreesboro to wrap up the decade with a Dec. 29 tilt against another top A-10 team in Rhode Island.
That contest will tip at approximately 3:30 p.m. following the Blue Raider women's basketball game against TCU.
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
