Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, January 28
Murfreesboro, TN
8:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-310,16 CUSA
59
vs
70
UAB
-132,61 CUSA
1
2
F
UAB
29
41
70
Middle Tennessee
34
25
59
MT falls after late UAB run
1/28/2021 10:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A bad stretch in the second half doomed Middle Tennessee in a late-night affair Thursday.
The Blue Raiders (3-10, 1-6) held a 10-point lead over visiting UAB (13-2, 6-1) with just under 10 minutes to play, but the Blazers erased the deficit and took over with a 29-8 run to close out a 70-59 road win.
"I'm just disappointed in the outcome in the game. I wasn't disappointed in our team," MT head coach Nick McDevitt said. "I thought we played really well for 30-plus minutes. … The difference in the game was their 1-3-1 defense. It just kept us off balance for the last seven, eight minutes of the game."
Middle Tennessee put together possibly its best performance of the season through the first 30 minutes. The problems came in the last 10 minutes.
The Blue Raiders failed to make a shot for over five minutes of game time and suffered eight turnovers in the last 10 minutes, helping UAB go on its big run.
"They started to go with a 1-3-1, and we started turning it over a bit," Middle Tennessee senior Jo'Vontae Millner-Criss said. "We just rushed shots and got out of the flow of our offense."
When MT was rolling, it was a team effort that McDevitt has been looking for.
Junior Dontrell Shuler and Millner had 11 points apiece through the first 30 minutes to lead the way, but eight of the nine Blue Raiders who saw the floor scored at least a bucket and they hit 19 of their first 40 shots for a respectable 47.5% shooting clip from the field.
Middle Tennessee finished the game with 11 assists on 22 made baskets, its most helpers since having 12 against Covenant College on Dec. 12.
Shuler finished with a team-high 16 points, while Millner had his first double-double this season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, six coming on the offensive end. Junior Jordan Davis was also in double-figure scoring with 12.
"We were handling their full-court press … and we were guarding well [for the first 30 minutes]," McDevitt said. "I told our players that it was really good basketball in the first half and about as good as we've played in a while on both ends."
McDevitt was also happy with the way his team played on the defensive end for most of the game.
The Blue Raiders held the Blazers to 34% shooting through 30 minutes, but UAB finished on a 13-for-20 stretch, thanks in part to getting out in transition off MT turnovers.
"We were doing well on the glass, even with their size, and they weren't scoring a ton in transition at the free-throw line," McDevitt said. "That's probably some of the best ball we've played this season."
Middle Tennessee will hope to put a full 40 minutes together Sunday when it travels to UAB for a rematch. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Blue Raiders (3-10, 1-6) held a 10-point lead over visiting UAB (13-2, 6-1) with just under 10 minutes to play, but the Blazers erased the deficit and took over with a 29-8 run to close out a 70-59 road win.
"I'm just disappointed in the outcome in the game. I wasn't disappointed in our team," MT head coach Nick McDevitt said. "I thought we played really well for 30-plus minutes. … The difference in the game was their 1-3-1 defense. It just kept us off balance for the last seven, eight minutes of the game."
Middle Tennessee put together possibly its best performance of the season through the first 30 minutes. The problems came in the last 10 minutes.
The Blue Raiders failed to make a shot for over five minutes of game time and suffered eight turnovers in the last 10 minutes, helping UAB go on its big run.
"They started to go with a 1-3-1, and we started turning it over a bit," Middle Tennessee senior Jo'Vontae Millner-Criss said. "We just rushed shots and got out of the flow of our offense."
When MT was rolling, it was a team effort that McDevitt has been looking for.
Junior Dontrell Shuler and Millner had 11 points apiece through the first 30 minutes to lead the way, but eight of the nine Blue Raiders who saw the floor scored at least a bucket and they hit 19 of their first 40 shots for a respectable 47.5% shooting clip from the field.
Middle Tennessee finished the game with 11 assists on 22 made baskets, its most helpers since having 12 against Covenant College on Dec. 12.
Shuler finished with a team-high 16 points, while Millner had his first double-double this season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, six coming on the offensive end. Junior Jordan Davis was also in double-figure scoring with 12.
"We were handling their full-court press … and we were guarding well [for the first 30 minutes]," McDevitt said. "I told our players that it was really good basketball in the first half and about as good as we've played in a while on both ends."
McDevitt was also happy with the way his team played on the defensive end for most of the game.
The Blue Raiders held the Blazers to 34% shooting through 30 minutes, but UAB finished on a 13-for-20 stretch, thanks in part to getting out in transition off MT turnovers.
"We were doing well on the glass, even with their size, and they weren't scoring a ton in transition at the free-throw line," McDevitt said. "That's probably some of the best ball we've played this season."
Middle Tennessee will hope to put a full 40 minutes together Sunday when it travels to UAB for a rematch. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Team Stats
UAB
MT
FG%
.433
.415
3FG%
.217
.500
FT%
.500
.545
RB
39
36
TO
9
19
STL
9
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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