Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, February 9
Murfreesboro, TN
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
8-17, 5-7
50
vs
55
Old Dominion
20-6, 10-3
1
2
F
Old Dominion
21
34
55
Middle Tennessee
23
27
50
Team Stats
ODU
MT
FG%
.358
.317
3FG%
.350
.214
FT%
.714
.750
RB
39
40
TO
11
9
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballBlue Raiders fall to ODU after strong fight
2/9/2019 9:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – If there's one thing that's evident of Nick McDevitt's first team at Middle Tennessee, it's that his Blue Raiders love to play first-place teams tough.
With the Conference USA-leading Old Dominion Monarchs (20-6, 10-3) visiting the Murphy Center Saturday, the Blue Raiders (8-17, 5-7) took the game down to the wire before falling 55-50.
It was the blue and white's first loss all-time to ODU (9-1) and snapped a three-game winning streak.
"I thought our team played really hard and played well, we just played a really good team," McDevitt said. "There are no moral victories in college basketball. However, I was awfully proud of them for their effort, toughness and attitude."
Middle Tennessee went into the night 2-0 this season against teams holding at least a share of the C-USA lead. McDevitt's squad's ability to seemingly play its best against the league's best is a characteristic he's taken pride in during his first season in Murfreesboro.
"It's about matchups and playing hard every night," he said. "Teams are fighting for positioning … and our guys are stepping up their play, but so are other teams in the league."
That Blue Raider toughness shined through for a stretch in the second half.
The Monarchs' conference lead looked to be in safe hands midway through the second half with a 39-32 advantage, but Middle Tennessee and its sensational local product wouldn't give up that easily.
After a personal 9-0 run from sophomore Donovan Sims, the pride of Murfreesboro's Blackman High School, the Blue Raiders grabbed a 41-39 lead and were upset-minded.
The lead flip-flopped for the next several minutes until the clock ticked to four minutes remaining, at which point MT went cold from the field, spelling defeat.
Against the second-best scoring defense in C-USA, the Blue Raiders missed three of their last four shots and had four turnovers in the last four minutes, succumbing to a 9-2 run.
"I think they did a good job of trying to make it hard on us," junior Antonio Green said. "We missed some easy ones, but they did a good job of pressuring us."
The final stretch wasn't the only time MT struggled to get good looks. It also came out of the gates cold, but its defense was a difference-maker early.
Middle Tennessee went into the first-half locker room holding a slim 23-21 advantage. Though the blue and white managed only nine makes on 33 attempts from the floor, the Monarchs weren't much better, making 8-of-29 shots, 3-of-12 3-pointers.
Old Dominion looked like it was putting its foot down early on with a 21-13 lead 12 minutes in, but went scoreless over the last 7:48 of the half, allowing MT to rattle off a 10-0 run.
"Defensively, I thought we were active and forced some tough shots," McDevitt said. "We made them make plays … and you have to tip your hat to them. They made them."
The Blue Raiders will want to keep their character while wiping the poor offensive night before making the short trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky on Thursday, where rival WKU will be waiting for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
"I think teams are aware of how good we're playing, and they know we aren't the same team we were at the beginning of the season," Green said. "I think we've put people on notice, so to say."
Sims led Middle Tennessee Saturday with 14 points, 11 coming in the second half, to go with five rebounds and three steals. Green had 13 points, six rebounds and two steals, and senior James Hawthorne had six points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
With the Conference USA-leading Old Dominion Monarchs (20-6, 10-3) visiting the Murphy Center Saturday, the Blue Raiders (8-17, 5-7) took the game down to the wire before falling 55-50.
It was the blue and white's first loss all-time to ODU (9-1) and snapped a three-game winning streak.
"I thought our team played really hard and played well, we just played a really good team," McDevitt said. "There are no moral victories in college basketball. However, I was awfully proud of them for their effort, toughness and attitude."
Middle Tennessee went into the night 2-0 this season against teams holding at least a share of the C-USA lead. McDevitt's squad's ability to seemingly play its best against the league's best is a characteristic he's taken pride in during his first season in Murfreesboro.
"It's about matchups and playing hard every night," he said. "Teams are fighting for positioning … and our guys are stepping up their play, but so are other teams in the league."
That Blue Raider toughness shined through for a stretch in the second half.
The Monarchs' conference lead looked to be in safe hands midway through the second half with a 39-32 advantage, but Middle Tennessee and its sensational local product wouldn't give up that easily.
After a personal 9-0 run from sophomore Donovan Sims, the pride of Murfreesboro's Blackman High School, the Blue Raiders grabbed a 41-39 lead and were upset-minded.
The lead flip-flopped for the next several minutes until the clock ticked to four minutes remaining, at which point MT went cold from the field, spelling defeat.
Against the second-best scoring defense in C-USA, the Blue Raiders missed three of their last four shots and had four turnovers in the last four minutes, succumbing to a 9-2 run.
"I think they did a good job of trying to make it hard on us," junior Antonio Green said. "We missed some easy ones, but they did a good job of pressuring us."
The final stretch wasn't the only time MT struggled to get good looks. It also came out of the gates cold, but its defense was a difference-maker early.
Middle Tennessee went into the first-half locker room holding a slim 23-21 advantage. Though the blue and white managed only nine makes on 33 attempts from the floor, the Monarchs weren't much better, making 8-of-29 shots, 3-of-12 3-pointers.
Old Dominion looked like it was putting its foot down early on with a 21-13 lead 12 minutes in, but went scoreless over the last 7:48 of the half, allowing MT to rattle off a 10-0 run.
"Defensively, I thought we were active and forced some tough shots," McDevitt said. "We made them make plays … and you have to tip your hat to them. They made them."
The Blue Raiders will want to keep their character while wiping the poor offensive night before making the short trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky on Thursday, where rival WKU will be waiting for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
"I think teams are aware of how good we're playing, and they know we aren't the same team we were at the beginning of the season," Green said. "I think we've put people on notice, so to say."
Sims led Middle Tennessee Saturday with 14 points, 11 coming in the second half, to go with five rebounds and three steals. Green had 13 points, six rebounds and two steals, and senior James Hawthorne had six points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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
