Raiders show resilience, but drop opener to Omaha

Thursday, November 26

Estero, FL

10:00 AM

Middle Tennessee

0-1

Omaha

1-1

Middle Tennessee

Omaha

11/26/2020 1:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: @MTAthletics

ESTERO, Fla. – After an offseason unlike any other, Middle Tennessee may have been more excited to get the 2020-21 season started this week than anyone as a host of new players were ready to get back on the court while the Blue Raider returners hoped to begin re-writing the narrative from the previous season.

After their Wednesday opener against Akron was canceled, MT was forced to wait yet another day and tasked with facing an Omaha Mavericks team that already had a chance to work out some kinks the day before. The Mavs' one day head start may have been just enough, as they clinched a 60-59 heartbreaker in the final seconds to hand Blue Raider Head Coach Nick McDevitt his first season opening loss at MT.

"We did some good things today, particularly early on," McDevitt said. "Our energy was good to start the game, but we got a little stagnant on offense and that put us in a hole.

"Our attitude was still good in the locker room and I thought we showed that on the floor as we battled back to take the lead in the second half. We just made some bad mistakes down the stretch that cost us the game."

While the rust from an unusually long layover since their last game on March 7 was very apparent, the Blue Raiders got the ball rolling with a 3-pointer from senior Donovan Sims to open the campaign with an early lead.

Redshirt junior Jordan Davis then extended that lead to nine at 15-6 on a steal and a score immediately following a trifecta from Eli Lawrence to force a timeout from the Mavericks.

Omaha came out of the timeout determined to keep it close and pulled it back to a tie ball game before re-gaining the lead, 21-19, just ahead of the under-8 media timeout.

As the MT offense sputtered, the Mavs hit their stride with a 13-0 run to take a 6-point advantage into the final media timeout of the half.

The Blue Raiders needed a big play to re-energize the team, but it wouldn't come before halftime as they limped into the locker room trailing 32-19.

Sims opened the second half just as he did the first, connecting on a triple to finally stop the bleeding. Davis knocked one down the next trip down the floor and the Blue Raiders the deficit was back to single digits with 17 minutes to play.

After stringing together a few more stops on the defensive end, Davis collected another triple to get the MT bench on their feet as the gap was down to six.

The momentum was slowed by a technical foul called against the Blue Raider sideline, but only momentarily as the Jordan Davis show continued to start the second frame.

The Dayton transfer, combined with some timely 3-pointers from backcourt mate Sims, willed his team to stay in the game. At the 9:34 mark, Dontrell Shuler drained a pair of free throws and Middle Tennessee was back on top, 44-43.

The Raiders kept their strong play going over the next five-plus minutes to lead by as much as five, and had a 3-point lead to protect in the final minutes coming out of the game's last media timeout.

Omaha senior Matt Pile made a strong move to the basket out of the break to cut the MT lead to one at 57-56, but DeAndre Dishman answered immediately with a beautiful hook shot in the paint.

It remained tense down the stretch as the Blue Raiders failed to put the game away on the offensive end, but a strong defensive unit strung together stops to keep MT in the lead as the clock ticked down to the final seconds.

However, it was a nightmare of an ending for MT as the 3-point advantage evaporated in the final nine seconds as a pair of tough foul calls turned the tide and allowed Omaha to steal one in Florida.

Middle Tennessee suffered 15 turnovers – many unforced – to just eight assists, were outrebounded 43 to 32 and shot just 32 percent from the field.

Despite offensive woes, the Blue Raider defense did appear much improved over the previous season, holding Omaha to 60 points with just one made 3-pointer while collecting 13 steals and forcing 22 Maverick turnovers.

Sims was MT's leading scorer with 14 while Davis added 13 and six rebounds. Jared Coleman-Jones led the way on the glass with seven boards while Shuler collected three of MT's 13 steals off the bench.

McDevitt's bunch will look to right the wrongs Friday morning as they tip at 10 a.m. CT against in-state foe East Tennessee State to close out their time at the Gulf Coast Showcase.

"Down the stretch we just needed to execute," McDevitt added. "With a 3-point lead and two minutes to go, you have to win those. We didn't make the plays we needed to and we have to get that corrected."