Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, December 15
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
6 PM
Middle Tennessee
-74,10 CUSA
73
vs
82
Chattanooga
8-3,0-0SoCon
1
2
F
Chattanooga
47
35
82
Middle Tenn.
40
33
73
Blue Raiders fall to Mocs, Snap Home Winning Streak
12/15/2022 9:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Great ball protection and fast break points for MTSU can’t slow down hot shooting from UTC
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball stumbled on Thursday night, falling to a hot shooting Chattanooga team 82-73 in the Murphy Center in the penultimate nonconference game of the season.
The Blue Raiders (7-4) quickly got behind 11-2 early in the first half but battled back within two points early in the second half, but never could connect on that final punch to take the lead in a game that the Mocs (8-3) led wire-to-wire after shooting 68.0 percent from the field in the first half.
While leading in points off turnovers (13-9) points in the paint (38-28) and fast break points (15-0), MTSU failed to slow UTC down on the offensive glass, where 10 Moc offensive rebounds resulted in 15 second chance points, while MTSU only had six points on six offensive rebounds.
Eli Lawrence started scorching hot, making 5-of-6 shots in the first half to push MTSU back into the game, ending the night with a team-leading 21 points. DeAndre Dishman was an efficient 8-for-13 for 16 points, with four assists and three steals on the night. Camryn Weston tied for the Blue Raider lead with five rebounds to go along with 15 points. Elias King was the final Blue Raider in double figures, scoring 12 points off the bench.
By the Numbers
37-21: The total rebound disparity for MTSU, who hauled in 16 fewer rebounds than Chattanooga on Thursday. The nine-point difference in second chance points proved to be the difference in a game the Blue Raiders lost by nine points.
17: MTSU forced 17 turnovers on Thursday night, while only committing five turnovers as a team. Seven of those 17 turnovers came on MTSU steals.
20: MTSU snapped a 20-game home winning streak with the loss. It was the fourth longest home winning streak in Blue Raider history.
Blue Raider Notes
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"Congrats to coach Earl and his team. I thought they were good, really good tonight. We knew how good they were from watching them on film. They're tough to defend, they're really good offensively because of the way that they shoot the ball. Particularly Stevens, it's different when you're facing somebody that big, 7-foot, 275, that can also really shoot it.
"We got too many defensive assignments wrong to start the game. We lost by nine, and we were down 11-2 in two minutes. That was really the difference. In the first half, they were 8-for-13 from three. We started defending that portion of their offense better and they were 2-for-6 the rest of the night.
"You've got to credit them. It felt like multiple times, it was a one or two possession game, and they made the big shot. You cut it two or three or four, and somebody gets loose, and they don't miss it. I thought we had a couple of opportunities on the reverse, where you're down two, you're down three and the big shot, we just didn't make it."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will stay at home for their final non-conference game of the 2022-23 season, taking on long-time rival Murray State at the Murphy Center on December 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
The Blue Raiders (7-4) quickly got behind 11-2 early in the first half but battled back within two points early in the second half, but never could connect on that final punch to take the lead in a game that the Mocs (8-3) led wire-to-wire after shooting 68.0 percent from the field in the first half.
While leading in points off turnovers (13-9) points in the paint (38-28) and fast break points (15-0), MTSU failed to slow UTC down on the offensive glass, where 10 Moc offensive rebounds resulted in 15 second chance points, while MTSU only had six points on six offensive rebounds.
Eli Lawrence started scorching hot, making 5-of-6 shots in the first half to push MTSU back into the game, ending the night with a team-leading 21 points. DeAndre Dishman was an efficient 8-for-13 for 16 points, with four assists and three steals on the night. Camryn Weston tied for the Blue Raider lead with five rebounds to go along with 15 points. Elias King was the final Blue Raider in double figures, scoring 12 points off the bench.
By the Numbers
37-21: The total rebound disparity for MTSU, who hauled in 16 fewer rebounds than Chattanooga on Thursday. The nine-point difference in second chance points proved to be the difference in a game the Blue Raiders lost by nine points.
17: MTSU forced 17 turnovers on Thursday night, while only committing five turnovers as a team. Seven of those 17 turnovers came on MTSU steals.
20: MTSU snapped a 20-game home winning streak with the loss. It was the fourth longest home winning streak in Blue Raider history.
Blue Raider Notes
- Eli Lawrence scored a season-high 21 points. It was the third game of his career with 20 or more points.
- Teafale Lenard, Jr., blocked two shots to tie Chris Ingram for fifth place on MTSU's career blocks list with 81. It was the 22nd multi-block game of his career in 48 games.
- The Blue Raiders' five turnovers were their fewest against a Division I opponent since February 10, 2018, against North Texas.
- Camryn Weston's 15 points and six assists were both season highs.
- Elias King recorded the ninth double-digit scoring performance of his college career. Eight of those games have come in his last 14 appearances, dating back to the 2022 CBI.
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"Congrats to coach Earl and his team. I thought they were good, really good tonight. We knew how good they were from watching them on film. They're tough to defend, they're really good offensively because of the way that they shoot the ball. Particularly Stevens, it's different when you're facing somebody that big, 7-foot, 275, that can also really shoot it.
"We got too many defensive assignments wrong to start the game. We lost by nine, and we were down 11-2 in two minutes. That was really the difference. In the first half, they were 8-for-13 from three. We started defending that portion of their offense better and they were 2-for-6 the rest of the night.
"You've got to credit them. It felt like multiple times, it was a one or two possession game, and they made the big shot. You cut it two or three or four, and somebody gets loose, and they don't miss it. I thought we had a couple of opportunities on the reverse, where you're down two, you're down three and the big shot, we just didn't make it."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will stay at home for their final non-conference game of the 2022-23 season, taking on long-time rival Murray State at the Murphy Center on December 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Team Stats
UTC
MTSU
FG%
.565
.468
3FG%
.526
.318
FT%
.741
.727
RB
37
21
TO
17
5
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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