Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, January 30
El Paso, TX
8:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-517, 18 CUSA
66
at
67
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UTEP
-139, 45 CUSA
1
2
F
MT
34
32
66
UTEP
34
33
67
Team Stats
MT
UTEP
FG%
.471
.413
3FG%
.333
.286
FT%
.571
.688
RB
37
35
TO
15
8
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Resurgent Raiders squander late chances at UTEP
1/30/2020 10:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EL PASO, Texas – A resurgent Blue Raider basketball team had a chance to send it to overtime in El Paso Thursday evening, but fell just short in a 67-66 thriller inside the Don Haskins Center.
Middle Tennessee played some of the best offense it had all season against the UTEP Miners, and aside from a pair of powerful post players in Bryson Williams and Efe Odigie, played just as well on the defensive end.
"We had a good opportunity to get a road win tonight, and those are really hard to come by," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "We had some really good looks and a few wide open looks late in the game, and we just couldn't convert one when we needed it.
"We did a lot of really good things, though, and played really hard in both halves. Jo'Vontae Millner was excellent tonight and I thought Tyson Jackson did a really good job for us as well. Williams and Odigie are a handful, but I thought those two and our other posts did about as good of a job as you can with them tonight."
The Blue Raiders shot 47 percent from the field on the evening and outrebounded the Miners 37-35 as a 31-point outburst from the bench had them in the game all night long.
MT got off to a hot start in the Sun City, quickly opening up a 22-9 lead as Millner erupted for 10 points in his first three minutes of action off the bench.
"Our mindset was just different tonight," Millner said. "We came out ready to play and ready to prove to people that despite our record we are a talented team."
Falling victim to one of the scoring droughts it has been all to susceptible to in 2019-20, Middle Tennessee then went without a basket for seven minutes as UTEP reeled off a 15-0 run to take a 2-point advantage at the 7:04 mark.
C.J. Jones was able to get to the free throw line moments later and started a 7-0 response that settled the Raiders and gave back their lead.
A battle ensued for the remainder of the half as Antonio Green and UTEP's Williams traded blows to close out the opening frame in a deadlock at 34.
While the Blue Raiders shot it well before the break, they would need to man up down low coming back out after giving up 24 points in the paint and seven offensive boards and allowing Williams and Odigie to combine for 28 points in the first half.
Both teams struggled to get going immediately out of the break, combining for seven turnovers in the first three minutes of the half.
As the squads settled into their offenses the game remained a back-and-forth battle with eight lead changes and no advantage larger than five either way as a Millner layup that put him over his previous career-high of 15 put MT on top 49-48 at the under 12 media timeout.
UTEP took the lead right back after the media, and while the Blue Raiders would tie it up two more times and keep the Miners within five until the waning seconds they couldn't get back on top on the scoreboard.
The Miners looked to finally have it closed out with a 6-point lead, their largest of the game, and just 16 seconds on the clock, but Millner wasn't done yet.
The Burlington, N.C. native knocked down his third triple of the night and after a pair of missed Miner free throws Middle Tennessee had a chance.
A deep shot forced up a bit too early by Green wouldn't go but a tip-in by Jackson did make it a one-point game. With under two seconds on the clock, however, the Raiders couldn't get the officials to recognize a foul to send UTEP back to the free throw line before the final buzzer sounded.
Millner finished his career night with a team-high 19 points while Green (12), Jackson (10) and Jones (10) each joined him in double figures. Jackson added eight rebounds and was matched for a team-high on the glass by Donovan Sims who also dished out five assists.
Williams (28) and Odigie (15) combined to account for 43 of UTEP's 67 points on the evening, over 64 percent of the Miners' scoring production.
Middle Tennessee looks to keep their strong play going Saturday at 3:00 p.m. as they conclude the Texas road swing at UTSA.
Middle Tennessee played some of the best offense it had all season against the UTEP Miners, and aside from a pair of powerful post players in Bryson Williams and Efe Odigie, played just as well on the defensive end.
"We had a good opportunity to get a road win tonight, and those are really hard to come by," Head Coach Nick McDevitt said. "We had some really good looks and a few wide open looks late in the game, and we just couldn't convert one when we needed it.
"We did a lot of really good things, though, and played really hard in both halves. Jo'Vontae Millner was excellent tonight and I thought Tyson Jackson did a really good job for us as well. Williams and Odigie are a handful, but I thought those two and our other posts did about as good of a job as you can with them tonight."
The Blue Raiders shot 47 percent from the field on the evening and outrebounded the Miners 37-35 as a 31-point outburst from the bench had them in the game all night long.
MT got off to a hot start in the Sun City, quickly opening up a 22-9 lead as Millner erupted for 10 points in his first three minutes of action off the bench.
"Our mindset was just different tonight," Millner said. "We came out ready to play and ready to prove to people that despite our record we are a talented team."
Falling victim to one of the scoring droughts it has been all to susceptible to in 2019-20, Middle Tennessee then went without a basket for seven minutes as UTEP reeled off a 15-0 run to take a 2-point advantage at the 7:04 mark.
C.J. Jones was able to get to the free throw line moments later and started a 7-0 response that settled the Raiders and gave back their lead.
A battle ensued for the remainder of the half as Antonio Green and UTEP's Williams traded blows to close out the opening frame in a deadlock at 34.
While the Blue Raiders shot it well before the break, they would need to man up down low coming back out after giving up 24 points in the paint and seven offensive boards and allowing Williams and Odigie to combine for 28 points in the first half.
Both teams struggled to get going immediately out of the break, combining for seven turnovers in the first three minutes of the half.
As the squads settled into their offenses the game remained a back-and-forth battle with eight lead changes and no advantage larger than five either way as a Millner layup that put him over his previous career-high of 15 put MT on top 49-48 at the under 12 media timeout.
UTEP took the lead right back after the media, and while the Blue Raiders would tie it up two more times and keep the Miners within five until the waning seconds they couldn't get back on top on the scoreboard.
The Miners looked to finally have it closed out with a 6-point lead, their largest of the game, and just 16 seconds on the clock, but Millner wasn't done yet.
The Burlington, N.C. native knocked down his third triple of the night and after a pair of missed Miner free throws Middle Tennessee had a chance.
A deep shot forced up a bit too early by Green wouldn't go but a tip-in by Jackson did make it a one-point game. With under two seconds on the clock, however, the Raiders couldn't get the officials to recognize a foul to send UTEP back to the free throw line before the final buzzer sounded.
Millner finished his career night with a team-high 19 points while Green (12), Jackson (10) and Jones (10) each joined him in double figures. Jackson added eight rebounds and was matched for a team-high on the glass by Donovan Sims who also dished out five assists.
Williams (28) and Odigie (15) combined to account for 43 of UTEP's 67 points on the evening, over 64 percent of the Miners' scoring production.
Middle Tennessee looks to keep their strong play going Saturday at 3:00 p.m. as they conclude the Texas road swing at UTSA.
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
