Raiders race past Murray State

Wednesday, December 2

Murfreesboro, TN

6:30 PM

Middle Tennessee

-12,00 CUSA

Murray State

1-1,0-0OVC

Murray St.

Middle Tennessee

12/2/2020 9:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)@MT_MBB vs Murray State Highlights

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A slow start couldn't keep Middle Tennessee from its first win of the young season Wednesday at the Murphy Center.

The Blue Raiders (1-2) returned home after starting the campaign at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida, to play host to longtime rival Murray State (1-1) and turned in their best performance yet, winning 78-61.

It was quite a different feeling for MT than a season ago when it lost at Murray State 85-52.

"I was really proud of our team tonight. I thought we put together a full 40 minutes on both sides of the ball," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "Murray State is a really good team … so, to get the win here tonight against those guys is really good."

The Racers went into the game riding high on the heels of a season-opening 173-95 win over Division III Greenville, and the momentum looked to carry over early on.

Middle Tennessee found itself in a 26-19 hole after a Murray State layup with 9:12 left in the first half, and not much was going right offensively with eight makes in the Raiders' first 28 shots, including 2-for-15 from 3-point range.

"We came together as a group and decided we were going to play hard on defense, and we knew the stuff on offense was going to come," redshirt senior Jo'Vontae Millner-Criss said. "We know we're a talented group and we had more in the tank."

A steal at the 4:58 mark by redshirt junior Jalen Jordan led to a layup on the other end of the floor for junior Dontrell Shuler, breaking a scoreless streak for the Blue Raiders of almost five minutes.

It was finally the spark MT needed, and the fire spread quickly.

The Blue Raiders scored 12 points in a row over the next 2.5 minutes and entered the halftime break up 34-30, then grew the lead to double digits in the second half. By the time two minutes had expired in the second half, the blue and white had rattled off a 26-6 run.

Middle Tennessee's lead eventually reached as many as 24 points. The offensive explosion was a welcomed sight after a tough couple of games in the Gulf Coast Showcase. With nine newcomers, the offensive chemistry is still building for the Raiders.

"As time goes by, we're getting more comfortable with each other," Shuler said. "It's definitely been a challenge, but we're learning and getting there."

Defense was MT's catalyst over its big run, as was its bench, which recorded 40 points.

Murray State was forced into 18 turnovers, eight of them Blue Raider steals, which led to 17 points for Middle Tennessee. The Racers shot 40%, including 19% (3-16) from 3-point range.

"I thought our defensive effort in our first two games was really there, and we did that again tonight, but we were able to fix some of our offensive woes," McDevitt said. "We were able to play out in transition more. … We really emphasized over the preseason team toughness and team effort on the defensive side of the ball."

Millner-Criss and fellow senior Donovan Sims led the way offensively for MT. Millner-Criss had 19 points off the bench, 16 of them after halftime, on 6-of-12 shooting to go with six rebounds and two blocks. Sims had 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, along with two steals.

Shuler added 12 points and six assists off the bench, and redshirt junior Jordan Davis rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points. Redshirt junior DeAndre Dishman had seven points and nine rebounds.

The home stretch will continue for Middle Tennessee on Monday when Chattanooga makes the short trip to the Murphy Center for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

"In order to have a chance to be at the top of your league, you have to win your home games," McDevitt said. "We should have a little confidence going into a tough game Monday."