Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 16
Murfreesboro, TN
6:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-30,00 CUSA
76
vs
65
Winthrop
2-1,0-0Big South
1
2
F
Winthrop
36
29
65
Middle Tenn.
33
43
76
Team Stats
Win
MTSU
FG%
.442
.436
3FG%
.346
.222
FT%
.526
.815
RB
29
37
TO
17
15
STL
9
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Blue Raiders capitalize in win over Winthrop
11/16/2021 9:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Middle Tennessee scored 29 points off of Eagle turnovers to edge out the Big South foe
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Havoc-creating defense and smart offense paved the way on Tuesday night, as Middle Tennessee picked up a big non-conference win over Winthrop, 76-65, in the Murphy Center.
The Blue Raiders scored 29 points off of 17 Eagle turnovers, limiting the Winthrop offense's chances in the second half after entering the locker room down at the break. Head coach Nick McDevitt switched defensive sets often throughout the final 20 minutes to throw Winthrop off his game, which often resulted in fast break chances. His Blue Raiders earned 20 points off the break during the contest.
"To be able to go on that mini-run and to have fans in the stands that recognize it and get behind the team, make a little noise," McDevitt said, "it certainly got the adrenaline pumping for a lot of folks, including myself. You can definitely hear it when they're engaged."
Donovan Sims and DeAndre Dishman each scored 16 points to lead MT, with Sims powering through a cold first half to score 13 points in the final 20 minutes, including a 5-6 clip from the free throw line to help ice the game in the closing seconds.
"Just staying confident really," Sims said of his success at the charity stripe. "I get in the gym on my own and put up my own free throws all the time. Either in here with a manager, or a grad assistant, or even just by myself, and just having good repetition and just blocking all the noise out."
The Blue Raiders as a whole were excellent at both getting to and converting from the line, posting an 81 percent success rate when called upon to shoot foul shots (22-for-27). That success was key for getting easy points on a night where three-point shooting was streaky at best for the Blue Raiders, only making six threes on 27 attempts for a shooting percentage of 22 percent from beyond the arc.
Winthrop led at halftime 36-33 after a strong start for MT stretched their lead to as much as six points early in the contest. The Eagles hit seven of their last eight shots to end the first 20 minutes with a lot of momentum. DeAndre Dishman paced the Blue Raiders with 12 points in the half, 10 of them coming in the paint, as he took advantage of some mismatches in the post to get some open layups.
Middle Tennessee game out of the locker room firing, however, starting the second half on a 10-2 run powered by a pair of threes from Tyler Millin to rush out to an early 43-38 lead that the Blue Raiders never relinquished the rest of the way.
"We were just telling our guys to just settle down," McDevitt said of the second half start. "I thought we were taking quick, almost rushed threes (in the first half). Usually it was the initial side, the primary side of the floor. We weren't getting a lot of side to side, running offense and it being quite clear to everyone in the building that you needed to shoot the ball."
Winthrop forward D.J. Burns was a huge threat on both ends of the court, the Tennessee transfer posted 14 points by the end of the night, but Dishman was able to beat him and other Eagle forwards off the bounce, both in the post and at the top of the key, to get some open layups and draw fouls.
"I know on defense (Burns) is not as fast laterally, so we wanted to use that to our advantage," Dishman said. "He didn't want to come out all the way to the three-point line, so we wanted to put in the floor and go at him early."
After facing a turnover margin deficit at halftime, Middle Tennessee turned up the defensive intensity, turning the Eagles over 10 times in the second half while scoring 21 points off of those turnovers. That, coupled with a great overall advantage on the boards throughout the game (37-29), gave MT the spark it needed to keep Winthrop at bay as the Eagles attempted to have a second-straight late comeback in a row.
"It's team defense," Sims said. "Everything we do this year is as a team. As y'all can see, there's a difference between this year and the past couple of years. I love this team, I love coming to work every day. It's positive vibes all the time, everybody's ready to get better."
Middle Tennessee Game Notes
The Blue Raiders scored 29 points off of 17 Eagle turnovers, limiting the Winthrop offense's chances in the second half after entering the locker room down at the break. Head coach Nick McDevitt switched defensive sets often throughout the final 20 minutes to throw Winthrop off his game, which often resulted in fast break chances. His Blue Raiders earned 20 points off the break during the contest.
"To be able to go on that mini-run and to have fans in the stands that recognize it and get behind the team, make a little noise," McDevitt said, "it certainly got the adrenaline pumping for a lot of folks, including myself. You can definitely hear it when they're engaged."
Donovan Sims and DeAndre Dishman each scored 16 points to lead MT, with Sims powering through a cold first half to score 13 points in the final 20 minutes, including a 5-6 clip from the free throw line to help ice the game in the closing seconds.
"Just staying confident really," Sims said of his success at the charity stripe. "I get in the gym on my own and put up my own free throws all the time. Either in here with a manager, or a grad assistant, or even just by myself, and just having good repetition and just blocking all the noise out."
The Blue Raiders as a whole were excellent at both getting to and converting from the line, posting an 81 percent success rate when called upon to shoot foul shots (22-for-27). That success was key for getting easy points on a night where three-point shooting was streaky at best for the Blue Raiders, only making six threes on 27 attempts for a shooting percentage of 22 percent from beyond the arc.
Winthrop led at halftime 36-33 after a strong start for MT stretched their lead to as much as six points early in the contest. The Eagles hit seven of their last eight shots to end the first 20 minutes with a lot of momentum. DeAndre Dishman paced the Blue Raiders with 12 points in the half, 10 of them coming in the paint, as he took advantage of some mismatches in the post to get some open layups.
Middle Tennessee game out of the locker room firing, however, starting the second half on a 10-2 run powered by a pair of threes from Tyler Millin to rush out to an early 43-38 lead that the Blue Raiders never relinquished the rest of the way.
"We were just telling our guys to just settle down," McDevitt said of the second half start. "I thought we were taking quick, almost rushed threes (in the first half). Usually it was the initial side, the primary side of the floor. We weren't getting a lot of side to side, running offense and it being quite clear to everyone in the building that you needed to shoot the ball."
Winthrop forward D.J. Burns was a huge threat on both ends of the court, the Tennessee transfer posted 14 points by the end of the night, but Dishman was able to beat him and other Eagle forwards off the bounce, both in the post and at the top of the key, to get some open layups and draw fouls.
"I know on defense (Burns) is not as fast laterally, so we wanted to use that to our advantage," Dishman said. "He didn't want to come out all the way to the three-point line, so we wanted to put in the floor and go at him early."
After facing a turnover margin deficit at halftime, Middle Tennessee turned up the defensive intensity, turning the Eagles over 10 times in the second half while scoring 21 points off of those turnovers. That, coupled with a great overall advantage on the boards throughout the game (37-29), gave MT the spark it needed to keep Winthrop at bay as the Eagles attempted to have a second-straight late comeback in a row.
"It's team defense," Sims said. "Everything we do this year is as a team. As y'all can see, there's a difference between this year and the past couple of years. I love this team, I love coming to work every day. It's positive vibes all the time, everybody's ready to get better."
Middle Tennessee Game Notes
- Middle Tennessee is now 3-0 for just the third time in the last 11 years
- The Blue Raiders have forced 65 turnovers on the season, their most through the first three games of a season in the last 20 years
- DeAndre Dishman's 16 points equaled his most in a Blue Raider uniform
- Donovan Sims' 16 points were a season high
- MT capitalized on its turnovers, outscoring Winthrop 29-3 off of miscues
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
