Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, January 15
Murfreesboro, TN
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-116,22 CUSA
50
vs
39
FIU
-107,04 CUSA
1
2
F
FIU
20
19
39
Middle Tenn.
25
25
50
Team Stats
FIU
MTSU
FG%
.228
.319
3FG%
.167
.286
FT%
.750
.667
RB
36
46
TO
13
18
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Blue Raiders Pick up C-USA win in “Rock Fight” over FIU
1/15/2022 8:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MT held the Panthers to just 22.8 percent shooting from the field on Saturday night
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball didn't make it pretty, but kept its dominance of the Murphy Center court intact this season, holding its opponent under 40 points for the first time since 2011, rolling over FIU 50-39 on Saturday night in C-USA play.
The Blue Raiders (11-6, 2-2 C-USA) limited the Panthers (10-6, 0-5 C-USA) to just 13 made field goals, contesting countless shots across the gym as neither team was able to find a rhythm. FIU especially struggled from behind the three-point line, where it was just 4-for-24 on the night.
"I was really happy with this win," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "It wasn't necessarily pretty, particularly offensively, but you're not going to be your best offensively every night. Teams that rely on offense to generate effort, particularly defensive effort, lose those kind of games. We were just able to really guard and rebound to win a rock fight kind of game."
FIU's 22.8 percent field goal percentage was the lowest allowed in the Nick McDevitt era at Middle Tennessee. The Panthers' 39 points is the lowest allowed by MT since March 6th, 2011, when Middle Tennessee defeated FIU 73-38 in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Donovan Sims led all scorers with 14 points, as Josh Jefferson (12 points) was the only other player to score at least 10 points for either team. Middle Tennessee outrebounded FIU 46-36, powered by 10 boards from Eli Lawrence, tying his career high.
"This team, we love the physicality of the game," Lawrence said. "Recently, we haven't been able to play as physically as we wanted to, so it worked to our advantage tonight."
Sims was the only player to finish with a shooting percentage better than 50 percent, finishing 5-of-8 from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
"It felt like I was being aggressive and doing what I needed to do to help my team," Sims said. "My shots haven't been falling throughout the season, so I've just been staying confident and just having good positive thoughts. Eventually, it'll just start happening, so hopefully I'll continue this."
Until Saturday, Middle Tennessee had lost the last 17 games in which it scored fewer than 60 points. MT overcame 18 turnovers on its side of the ball and just 31.9 percent shooting percent themselves. The 89 points combined from both teams is the fewest in a game played by Middle Tennessee since January 14, 1985, when the Blue Raiders defeated Eastern Kentucky 45-43.
Middle Tennessee entered the locker room with a 25-20 lead after a physical first-half that saw both teams make less than a third of their shots. FIU was able to turn the Blue Raiders over nine times, but managed just six points off of those turnovers, as MT held the Panthers to a 7-for-33 clip from the field and an anemic 1-for-11 from beyond the arc in the game's first 20 minutes.
The second half featured more of the same, as both teams marginally improved their shooting percentages while shooting fewer shots, but both failing to break the 25 percent mark from beyond the arc or the 35 percent mark from the field in the final 20 minutes. MT helped ice the game in the closing seconds thanks to a 7-for-11 clip from the charity stripe in the second half.
"I love this team," Sims said of his team's attitude this season. "I've loved my teams in the past, but this one just has a different vibe, a different feel. Everybody's positive all the time, everybody wants everybody else to do great things on the court."
The Blue Raiders will look for their ninth win in a row at home this season next Saturday, Jan. 22, when Southern Mississippi visits the Murphy Center. Tipoff is currently scheduled for 5 p.m. central.
Game Notes
The Blue Raiders (11-6, 2-2 C-USA) limited the Panthers (10-6, 0-5 C-USA) to just 13 made field goals, contesting countless shots across the gym as neither team was able to find a rhythm. FIU especially struggled from behind the three-point line, where it was just 4-for-24 on the night.
"I was really happy with this win," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "It wasn't necessarily pretty, particularly offensively, but you're not going to be your best offensively every night. Teams that rely on offense to generate effort, particularly defensive effort, lose those kind of games. We were just able to really guard and rebound to win a rock fight kind of game."
FIU's 22.8 percent field goal percentage was the lowest allowed in the Nick McDevitt era at Middle Tennessee. The Panthers' 39 points is the lowest allowed by MT since March 6th, 2011, when Middle Tennessee defeated FIU 73-38 in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Donovan Sims led all scorers with 14 points, as Josh Jefferson (12 points) was the only other player to score at least 10 points for either team. Middle Tennessee outrebounded FIU 46-36, powered by 10 boards from Eli Lawrence, tying his career high.
"This team, we love the physicality of the game," Lawrence said. "Recently, we haven't been able to play as physically as we wanted to, so it worked to our advantage tonight."
Sims was the only player to finish with a shooting percentage better than 50 percent, finishing 5-of-8 from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
"It felt like I was being aggressive and doing what I needed to do to help my team," Sims said. "My shots haven't been falling throughout the season, so I've just been staying confident and just having good positive thoughts. Eventually, it'll just start happening, so hopefully I'll continue this."
Until Saturday, Middle Tennessee had lost the last 17 games in which it scored fewer than 60 points. MT overcame 18 turnovers on its side of the ball and just 31.9 percent shooting percent themselves. The 89 points combined from both teams is the fewest in a game played by Middle Tennessee since January 14, 1985, when the Blue Raiders defeated Eastern Kentucky 45-43.
Middle Tennessee entered the locker room with a 25-20 lead after a physical first-half that saw both teams make less than a third of their shots. FIU was able to turn the Blue Raiders over nine times, but managed just six points off of those turnovers, as MT held the Panthers to a 7-for-33 clip from the field and an anemic 1-for-11 from beyond the arc in the game's first 20 minutes.
The second half featured more of the same, as both teams marginally improved their shooting percentages while shooting fewer shots, but both failing to break the 25 percent mark from beyond the arc or the 35 percent mark from the field in the final 20 minutes. MT helped ice the game in the closing seconds thanks to a 7-for-11 clip from the charity stripe in the second half.
"I love this team," Sims said of his team's attitude this season. "I've loved my teams in the past, but this one just has a different vibe, a different feel. Everybody's positive all the time, everybody wants everybody else to do great things on the court."
The Blue Raiders will look for their ninth win in a row at home this season next Saturday, Jan. 22, when Southern Mississippi visits the Murphy Center. Tipoff is currently scheduled for 5 p.m. central.
Game Notes
- MT's 10-game home winning streak is its longest since winning 21 in a row from the start of the 2012-13 season into the 2013-14 campaign.
- FIU's .228 performance from the floor marked the first time MT held a Division I opponent under 30 percent from the field since limiting UTEP to a .281 clip on March 9, 2019.
- Josh Jefferson has now scored in double figures and made at least three 3-pointers in each of his last six games, one game shy of career-long streaks in each category.
- FIU's 39 points was the fewest allowed by MT since limiting FIU to 38 on March 6, 2011
- MT had lost its last 17 games when scoring fewer than 60 points
- Saturday's 89 combined points were the fewest in a Blue Raider game since Jan. 14, 1985, a 45-43 win over Eastern Kentucky
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
