Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

Blue Raiders finish nonconference play against Murray State
12/20/2022 10:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee men's basketball closes nonconference play Wednesday with the 145th installment of its rivalry with Murray State. The Blue Raiders will look to start a new home winning streak after their string of 20 straight wins at the Murphy Center was snapped in an 82-73 loss to Chattanooga on Thursday.
The game will tip off at 6:00 p.m., streaming on ESPN+. It will also be broadcast on 94.9 The Fan, 95.1 in Murfreesboro and WGNS 101.9 FM, 100.5 FM, and 1450 AM. GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App will also carry the audio.
Game 12: Middle Tennessee (7-4, 1-0 C-USA) vs. Murray State (7-4, 2-0 Missouri Valley)
» Wednesday, December 21, 2022 – 6:00 p.m. CT
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, Tenn.
All-Time vs. Murray State
» MSU leads the all-time series 106-38.
» The two teams have split the last six meetings.
Promotions
» Team calendar giveaway - the first 250 fans will get a calendar featuring the 2022-23 Blue Raiders!
Blue Raider Notes
• Middle Tennessee had its 20-game home winning streak snapped last week in an 82-73 loss to Chattanooga on Thursday.
• Thursday's game was just the second time all season the Blue Raiders had been outrebounded.
• Teafale Lenard, Jr., had a career game at Belmont in which he set personal bests in points (20), rebounds (8) and blocks (6) while adding three assists and three steals. His six blocks are tied for the fourth most in a game in program history, and MTSU's 13 blocks in the game established a new program record.
• Lenard started the week 24th in the country in blocks per game at 2.09. He is tied for fifth in career blocks with 81.
• DeAndre Dishman is one of just seven seventh-year players in Division I men's basketball this season. His 16 points and 10 rebounds at Belmont marked his second double-double of the season and the fifth of his college career.
• Dishman entered the week at No. 53 in the nation in field goal percentage. He has shot better than 50 percent from the floor in all but one game. That one other game was a 2-4 performance in reduced minutes against DIII Maryville (TN).
• Eli Lawrence enters Wednesday's game with 806 career points. If he averages 9.7 points per game, he will reach the 1,000-point mark by the end of the regular season.
• Elias King recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Hofstra in the opening game of the Northern Classic. King averaged 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting .462 (6-13) from 3-point range and blocking five shots in the three games.
Scouting the Racers
» Murray State has won four of its last five games, with overtime wins in its first two Missouri Valley Conference games followed by a loss at Bellarmine, a one-point win over Chicago State and a 68-60 win over Austin Peay last Friday.
» Rob Perry leads Murray State in scoring at 15.2 points per game. Jamari Smith (14.1 ppg) and JaCobi Wood (13.0) join Perry in averaging double figures.
» DJ Burns is second in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding at 8.5 per game.
» Steve Prohm is in the first year of his second stint as head coach of the Racers. He was 97-95 in six years at Iowa State before returning to Murray.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook //MTMensBasketball, Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
The game will tip off at 6:00 p.m., streaming on ESPN+. It will also be broadcast on 94.9 The Fan, 95.1 in Murfreesboro and WGNS 101.9 FM, 100.5 FM, and 1450 AM. GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App will also carry the audio.
Game 12: Middle Tennessee (7-4, 1-0 C-USA) vs. Murray State (7-4, 2-0 Missouri Valley)
» Wednesday, December 21, 2022 – 6:00 p.m. CT
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, Tenn.
All-Time vs. Murray State
» MSU leads the all-time series 106-38.
» The two teams have split the last six meetings.
Promotions
» Team calendar giveaway - the first 250 fans will get a calendar featuring the 2022-23 Blue Raiders!
Blue Raider Notes
• Middle Tennessee had its 20-game home winning streak snapped last week in an 82-73 loss to Chattanooga on Thursday.
• Thursday's game was just the second time all season the Blue Raiders had been outrebounded.
• Teafale Lenard, Jr., had a career game at Belmont in which he set personal bests in points (20), rebounds (8) and blocks (6) while adding three assists and three steals. His six blocks are tied for the fourth most in a game in program history, and MTSU's 13 blocks in the game established a new program record.
• Lenard started the week 24th in the country in blocks per game at 2.09. He is tied for fifth in career blocks with 81.
• DeAndre Dishman is one of just seven seventh-year players in Division I men's basketball this season. His 16 points and 10 rebounds at Belmont marked his second double-double of the season and the fifth of his college career.
• Dishman entered the week at No. 53 in the nation in field goal percentage. He has shot better than 50 percent from the floor in all but one game. That one other game was a 2-4 performance in reduced minutes against DIII Maryville (TN).
• Eli Lawrence enters Wednesday's game with 806 career points. If he averages 9.7 points per game, he will reach the 1,000-point mark by the end of the regular season.
• Elias King recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Hofstra in the opening game of the Northern Classic. King averaged 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting .462 (6-13) from 3-point range and blocking five shots in the three games.
Scouting the Racers
» Murray State has won four of its last five games, with overtime wins in its first two Missouri Valley Conference games followed by a loss at Bellarmine, a one-point win over Chicago State and a 68-60 win over Austin Peay last Friday.
» Rob Perry leads Murray State in scoring at 15.2 points per game. Jamari Smith (14.1 ppg) and JaCobi Wood (13.0) join Perry in averaging double figures.
» DJ Burns is second in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding at 8.5 per game.
» Steve Prohm is in the first year of his second stint as head coach of the Racers. He was 97-95 in six years at Iowa State before returning to Murray.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook //MTMensBasketball, Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Players Mentioned
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