Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, February 13
Murfreesboro, TN
2:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
-177,83 CUSA
78
vs
63
Charlotte
-1311,66 CUSA
1
2
F
Charlotte
34
29
63
Middle Tenn.
41
37
78
Team Stats
CLT
MTSU
FG%
.453
.551
3FG%
.231
.529
FT%
.857
.833
RB
22
34
TO
7
12
STL
2
2
Game Leaders
Pts
30
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
8
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Blue Raiders blaze through 49ers behind 30-point Jefferson Performance
2/13/2022 5:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The graduate guard shot over 57 percent in all three shooting categories
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball would not be denied on Sunday, riding 30 points from the hand of Josh Jefferson to a 78-63 victory over Charlotte in the Murphy Center for the team's 14th straight home win.
Head Coach Nick McDevitt praised his team's efforts over the past week and half, where a rescheduled game against UTSA kicked off a homestand where the Blue Raiders played three games in six days, winning all three en route to claiming the top spot in the C-USA East with seven games yet to play.
"We've gone about 11 or 12 days straight given the UTSA game being put in this past week," McDevitt said. "It kind of jammed up a lot of games in a short amount of time. Today was kind of the last day before the off day that these guys are looking forward to. I thought they poured everything they had left in the tank out there defensively.
"If you're going to give yourself a chance to win your league, you've got to win your home games," McDevitt continued, in a nod to his team's 14 straight wins at home. "To go 3-0 this week at home was really big."
Jefferson shot 9-for-13 from the floor, 4-for-7 from three and 8-for-9 at the free throw line while also hauling in five boards and dishing out one assist for the Blue Raiders (17-7, 8-3 C-USA) to spring past the 49ers (13-11, 6-6 C-USA), out dueling Charlotte's Jahmir Young in a showcase of the C-USA East division's best guards. Young finished Sunday's game with 26 points after scoring 18 in the first half alone.
"You had to enjoy, if you were the fans, watching Josh Jefferson and (Young) make everything," head McDevitt said, noting the two All-Conference backcourt contenders combined to make their first 12 shots from the floor before Young finally missed an attempt on his seventh shot.
Jefferson didn't lean into the back-and-forth postgame, crediting his teammates and his coaches for putting him in a system where he could knock down shots.
"It was just in the flow of the offense, we were making a lot of shots," Jefferson said. "Good ball movement and teamwork."
While Jefferson and Young were both able to add eight points to their halftime totals, defensive pressure from lankier Blue Raiders, led by Eli Lawrence, on Young made things difficult for the 49er, forcing him to turn to other players. Charlotte players not named Jahir Young shot just 37.8 percent (14-37) from the field on Sunday afternoon, including a 1-11 clip beyond the arc.
On the other end of the floor, MT scored 36 of their 78 points in the paint, with plenty of layups made through contact and plenty of trips to the free throw line, where MT converted 15 of their 18 attempts. DeAndre Dishman scored 10 points, all in the paint or at the charity stripe, while also hauling in a team-leading seven rebounds.
"They kind of key on me rolling to the basket, so I know that contact's coming, so I know I've got to go up strong," Dishman said, who converted two And-1 opportunities on the afternoon. "When guys are delivering the ball, you've got to be sure to finish it. It builds a lot of momentum for the team."
Middle Tennessee took a 41-34 lead into the locker room at half time, in large part due to the efforts of Josh Jefferson. The graduate guard was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, en route to 22 points to lead all scorers at the break. MT collectively shot over 60 percent from the field (16-26, 61.5 percent) and drilled 6-of-10 threes as a team. The Blue Raiders also dominated on the boards, doubling Charlotte's total 18-9 in the first half.
The second half would feature more of the same, with strong Blue Raider defense holding the 49ers scoreless beyond the arc for the second straight second half in a row. While MT continued its rebounding dominance despite a renewed effort from Charlotte on the boards, finishing the game holding a 34-22 advantage, the fewest rebounds allowed by Middle Tennessee this season.
MT will hit the road for their penultimate road trip of the regular season this coming week, traveling south to Florida to take on FAU and FIU in a pair of C-USA East Division matchups. Tipoff against FIU on Thursday is scheduled for 6 p.m. central in Miami.
Game Notes
Head Coach Nick McDevitt praised his team's efforts over the past week and half, where a rescheduled game against UTSA kicked off a homestand where the Blue Raiders played three games in six days, winning all three en route to claiming the top spot in the C-USA East with seven games yet to play.
"We've gone about 11 or 12 days straight given the UTSA game being put in this past week," McDevitt said. "It kind of jammed up a lot of games in a short amount of time. Today was kind of the last day before the off day that these guys are looking forward to. I thought they poured everything they had left in the tank out there defensively.
"If you're going to give yourself a chance to win your league, you've got to win your home games," McDevitt continued, in a nod to his team's 14 straight wins at home. "To go 3-0 this week at home was really big."
Jefferson shot 9-for-13 from the floor, 4-for-7 from three and 8-for-9 at the free throw line while also hauling in five boards and dishing out one assist for the Blue Raiders (17-7, 8-3 C-USA) to spring past the 49ers (13-11, 6-6 C-USA), out dueling Charlotte's Jahmir Young in a showcase of the C-USA East division's best guards. Young finished Sunday's game with 26 points after scoring 18 in the first half alone.
"You had to enjoy, if you were the fans, watching Josh Jefferson and (Young) make everything," head McDevitt said, noting the two All-Conference backcourt contenders combined to make their first 12 shots from the floor before Young finally missed an attempt on his seventh shot.
Jefferson didn't lean into the back-and-forth postgame, crediting his teammates and his coaches for putting him in a system where he could knock down shots.
"It was just in the flow of the offense, we were making a lot of shots," Jefferson said. "Good ball movement and teamwork."
While Jefferson and Young were both able to add eight points to their halftime totals, defensive pressure from lankier Blue Raiders, led by Eli Lawrence, on Young made things difficult for the 49er, forcing him to turn to other players. Charlotte players not named Jahir Young shot just 37.8 percent (14-37) from the field on Sunday afternoon, including a 1-11 clip beyond the arc.
On the other end of the floor, MT scored 36 of their 78 points in the paint, with plenty of layups made through contact and plenty of trips to the free throw line, where MT converted 15 of their 18 attempts. DeAndre Dishman scored 10 points, all in the paint or at the charity stripe, while also hauling in a team-leading seven rebounds.
"They kind of key on me rolling to the basket, so I know that contact's coming, so I know I've got to go up strong," Dishman said, who converted two And-1 opportunities on the afternoon. "When guys are delivering the ball, you've got to be sure to finish it. It builds a lot of momentum for the team."
Middle Tennessee took a 41-34 lead into the locker room at half time, in large part due to the efforts of Josh Jefferson. The graduate guard was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, en route to 22 points to lead all scorers at the break. MT collectively shot over 60 percent from the field (16-26, 61.5 percent) and drilled 6-of-10 threes as a team. The Blue Raiders also dominated on the boards, doubling Charlotte's total 18-9 in the first half.
The second half would feature more of the same, with strong Blue Raider defense holding the 49ers scoreless beyond the arc for the second straight second half in a row. While MT continued its rebounding dominance despite a renewed effort from Charlotte on the boards, finishing the game holding a 34-22 advantage, the fewest rebounds allowed by Middle Tennessee this season.
MT will hit the road for their penultimate road trip of the regular season this coming week, traveling south to Florida to take on FAU and FIU in a pair of C-USA East Division matchups. Tipoff against FIU on Thursday is scheduled for 6 p.m. central in Miami.
Game Notes
- Sunday's game equals the Blue Raiders' largest-ever margin of victory over Charlotte
- Jefferson's 30 points were one shy of his career high and the third-most an individual has scored against the 49ers this season.
- MT is guaranteed a winning record to end the season after gaining its 17th win of the year.
- The Blue Raiders' 14-game home winning streak is the sixth-longest such streak in program history.
- Charlotte's 22 rebounds were the fewest MT has allowed this year.
2025 MTSU Basketball tickets on sale now - October 1st
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2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
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