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Late free throws give Blue Raiders comeback win at Marshall
1/27/2022 9:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Weston hits two clutch throws, finishes with 19 points
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The steeliest guts in Huntington, West Virginia, on Thursday belonged to Camryn Weston. The transfer sophomore knocked down a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds left in regulation to put Middle Tennessee (13-6, 4-2 Conference USA) ahead Thursday at Marshall's Cam Henderson Center as the visitors came away with an 81-79 victory.
"I thought our guys were tough all night long," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "[Marshall will] make you pay for any kind of mistakes, but I just thought we hung tough and made big free throws... Our guys rallied together and played well to get a tough win."
The Blue Raiders had not led since the seven-minute mark, trailing by as many as six points during that span. MT finished the game on a 6-0 run, as Donovan Sims' 3-pointer from the right wing with 53 seconds left cut the lead to 79-78.
Roadkill. #BlueRaiders | #StickTogether pic.twitter.com/YfSTqcciUM
— MT Basketball (@MT_MBB) January 28, 2022
A stop on the defensive end set up MT with the potential to go ahead with the last shot of the game. Weston drove to the basket and earned a trip to the free throw line with 6.8 seconds remaining on the clock.
After Weston knocked down both free throws, Teafale Lenard Jr. grabbed a defensive rebound and drew a foul with 0.3 seconds remaining. The freshman knocked down a free throw of his own to extend the lead to 81-79.
MT outlasted a Marshall (7-13, 0-7) onslaught that saw the Thundering Herd shoot 10-for-22 (.455) from 3-point range. The home team entered the game shooting .265 from long distance on the season.
Weston led the Blue Raiders with a season-high 19 points, going 6-for-9 from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line off the bench. Donovan Sims added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while DeAndre Dishman added 16. Eli Lawrence chipped in 10 of his own.
The Blue Raiders came away with 11 steals, led by three each for Dishman and Josh Jefferson, while turning the ball over just nine times.
Middle Tennessee heads to Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Saturday to take on Western Kentucky at 2 p.m.
Game Notes
- The Blue Raiders earned their first conference road win since February 22, 2020, at Southern Miss, snapping a 12-game losing streak in those games.
- Donovan Sims moved into a tie for fifth in program history with his 92nd career start and a tie for seventh with his 122nd career game played.
- Weston's 19 points were a season high.
- Thursday's win was MT's first win after trailing with five minutes left in regulation.
- MT's nine turnovers equaled its second-lowest total of the year.
- UTEP's win over Florida Atlantic means the Blue Raiders head to Bowling Green in first place in the East Division of Conference USA.
