Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, January 25
Murfreesboro, TN
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-516,17 CUSA
65
vs
63
Southern Miss
-615,26 CUSA
1
2
F
Southern Miss.
25
38
63
Middle Tennessee
26
39
65
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Team Stats
USM
MT
FG%
.426
.351
3FG%
.200
.200
FT%
.833
.786
RB
36
37
TO
15
9
STL
4
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballRaiders break skid by beating Southern Miss
1/25/2020 8:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee leaned on its defense to get a much-needed Conference USA win Saturday.
The Blue Raiders (5-16, 1-7) didn't play a gracious host to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-15, 2-6), snapping a losing streak by taking a thrilling 65-63 victory.
"That was a good win, and none of them are easy in league play," MT head coach Nick McDevitt said. "I liked the way we had to win. We were able to withstand an offensive dry spell … and although your heartbeat races up a little more than it otherwise would, I liked the way we won the game."
Using their defense to provide offense was the blue and white's calling card all night. They forced the Golden Eagles into 15 turnovers, 11 of them steals, leading to 19 points on the other end and 14 fast break points.
On the back of six steals and eight first-half turnovers by Southern Miss, MT took a 26-25 lead into the halftime break, its first halftime advantage since its last win Dec. 3 against Columbia International.
Then, after a back-and-forth start to the second 20 minutes, that defense came up big again in what proved to be the most crucial stretch in the game.
Over a little more than two minutes starting at the 12:26 mark, the Blue Raiders forced the Golden Eagles into four turnovers, leading to a 9-0 MT run that turned a one-point lead into 10.
"I told our team that their effort was there today," McDevitt said. "Looking at Southern Miss, there are a lot of things that we do and they do that are very similar … so it's about who executes better and does it with more pace. I thought our guys did a lot of good things out there."
Southern Miss recovered late to make things interesting, erasing the lead when Middle Tennessee went cold from the field, but the Raiders' hometown hero put the finishing touches on the win.
Sophomore Donovan Sims came up with a clutch late defensive rebound and made four free throws in the last 21 seconds, finishing with 13 points, nine in the second half. He also led the defense with five steals.
His last trip to the line came with the game knotted at 63. After a 3-point prayer went in for Southern Miss, Sims and the Blue Raiders had 11 seconds left to get a win. He brought the ball down the floor with men flanked on both sides, and when the lane opened, he took his chance and created contact, drawing a foul with 1.5 showing on the clock.
The free throws were nothing but net.
"I put the first one up and knew it was going in, and the second one felt good, too," Sims said. "That felt good for my team.
"I saw four seconds on the clock … and tried to seek contact with their bigs. The refs were calling it tight all game, so I knew in the time and situation of the game I'd get a foul."
Junior C.J. Jones was the high man in the scoring column for MT with 17 points, making seven of his 13 shots to go with five rebounds. Sophomore Jayce Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds and three steals, and senior Antonio Green had nine points.
The Blue Raiders will try to take the momentum on the road next week. They'll be at UTEP on Thursday before going to UTSA Saturday.
"We can still be a great team in this league and make a run," Sims said. "Everything starts on the defensive end. … We're trying to be more accountable towards ourselves so we can hold others accountable."
The Blue Raiders (5-16, 1-7) didn't play a gracious host to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-15, 2-6), snapping a losing streak by taking a thrilling 65-63 victory.
"That was a good win, and none of them are easy in league play," MT head coach Nick McDevitt said. "I liked the way we had to win. We were able to withstand an offensive dry spell … and although your heartbeat races up a little more than it otherwise would, I liked the way we won the game."
Using their defense to provide offense was the blue and white's calling card all night. They forced the Golden Eagles into 15 turnovers, 11 of them steals, leading to 19 points on the other end and 14 fast break points.
On the back of six steals and eight first-half turnovers by Southern Miss, MT took a 26-25 lead into the halftime break, its first halftime advantage since its last win Dec. 3 against Columbia International.
Then, after a back-and-forth start to the second 20 minutes, that defense came up big again in what proved to be the most crucial stretch in the game.
Over a little more than two minutes starting at the 12:26 mark, the Blue Raiders forced the Golden Eagles into four turnovers, leading to a 9-0 MT run that turned a one-point lead into 10.
"I told our team that their effort was there today," McDevitt said. "Looking at Southern Miss, there are a lot of things that we do and they do that are very similar … so it's about who executes better and does it with more pace. I thought our guys did a lot of good things out there."
Southern Miss recovered late to make things interesting, erasing the lead when Middle Tennessee went cold from the field, but the Raiders' hometown hero put the finishing touches on the win.
Sophomore Donovan Sims came up with a clutch late defensive rebound and made four free throws in the last 21 seconds, finishing with 13 points, nine in the second half. He also led the defense with five steals.
His last trip to the line came with the game knotted at 63. After a 3-point prayer went in for Southern Miss, Sims and the Blue Raiders had 11 seconds left to get a win. He brought the ball down the floor with men flanked on both sides, and when the lane opened, he took his chance and created contact, drawing a foul with 1.5 showing on the clock.
The free throws were nothing but net.
"I put the first one up and knew it was going in, and the second one felt good, too," Sims said. "That felt good for my team.
"I saw four seconds on the clock … and tried to seek contact with their bigs. The refs were calling it tight all game, so I knew in the time and situation of the game I'd get a foul."
Junior C.J. Jones was the high man in the scoring column for MT with 17 points, making seven of his 13 shots to go with five rebounds. Sophomore Jayce Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds and three steals, and senior Antonio Green had nine points.
The Blue Raiders will try to take the momentum on the road next week. They'll be at UTEP on Thursday before going to UTSA Saturday.
"We can still be a great team in this league and make a run," Sims said. "Everything starts on the defensive end. … We're trying to be more accountable towards ourselves so we can hold others accountable."
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
