Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
-197,103 CUSA
Florida Atlantic
-1512,86 CUSA
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Blue Raiders prevail in clash of East Division leaders
2/19/2022 5:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Middle Tennessee shot 60 percent from the floor, 62 percent from three.
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Middle Tennessee solidified its hold on the Conference USA East Division lead Saturday with a 87-79 victory at second-place Florida Atlantic. Josh Jefferson led the way with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor.
The Owls cut the Blue Raider lead to one point twice in the second half, but 31 points in the final 10:50 gave MT a cushion the home team couldn't overcome.
"I just thought we handled the last four minutes well," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "[We had] no turnovers. We weren't putting them on the free throw line, and we didn't give up offensive rebounds."
Nine points from Camryn Weston and six from Jefferson keyed that final push as Middle Tennessee shot 24-for-37 (.647) from the floor during the final 11 minutes.
The Blue Raiders made 16 of 21 free throw attempts in the second half to help keep their distance from Florida Atlantic. The 49 combined fouls called in the game ranked as the second-most in a Middle Tennessee game this season.
"I told our team at halftime 'It feels like a semifinal game in the tournament," McDevitt said. "Both teams were battling, knowing what's at stake."
The Blue Raiders shot 30-for-50 (.600) from the floor and 8-for-13 (.615) from long distance, setting season-high marks in both categories as they finished off a sweep of their two-game road trip to Florida Atlantic and FIU.
A chippy start limited both teams from building any momentum, as 15 total fouls were called in the game's first eight minutes. The first half saw five ties and six lead changes. The last lead change of the opening period came as MT went on an 8-0 run highlighted by a pair of threes by Jefferson.
Eli Lawrence and DeAndre Dishman added 14 points apiece. Lawrence was 4-for-4 with a team-leading nine points in the second half. Donovan Sims' six rebounds were a team high, and Weston led with four assists.
With the win, Middle Tennessee improves to 10-3 in C-USA play, two-and-a-half games ahead of second-place FAU with Western Kentucky at 8-6 heading into Saturday night.
MT is back in action Monday, hosting UTEP at 6 p.m. CT at the Murphy Center.
Game Notes
- Josh Jefferson has now scored in double figures in seven straight games, tying his career long.
- At 4-3, the Blue Raiders are above .500 in conference road games for the first time since 2017-18.
- MT earned its first season sweep of FAU since the 2016-17 season.
- The Blue Raiders have won five straight games, tying their longest such streak of the season.
