Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
-229,135 CUSA
Old Dominion
-1318,810 CUSA
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Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Old Dominion wins close, physical battle in regular season finale
3/5/2022 4:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NORFOLK, Va. – Middle Tennessee erased a 10-point deficit in the second half Saturday, but Old Dominion emerged victorious in a 68-64 contest at Chartway Arena to close out the regular season.
Once again without leading scorer Josh Jefferson, the Blue Raiders entered Saturday's game with first place in the Conference USA East Division locked up. In a game that saw five ties and six lead changes in the final 12 minutes, the deciding play was Austin Trice's putback dunk with 30 seconds remaining that broke a 64-all tie to give the Monarchs the win.
"I thought we played well, just had too many turnovers at critical spots," head coach Nick McDevitt said after his team committed 16 giveaways. "We didn't turn it over 20 times, but when you're on the road and a little shorthanded, that needs to be 10 or 12, not 16."
Trice's rebound gave Old Dominion its 16th offensive rebound of the game, compared to just five for the Blue Raiders, as the home team enjoyed a 36-25 advantage in total rebounds on the night.
"The biggest story of the game was the war on the glass," McDevitt said. "We know what they are. It's a tough physical team… When you come think about a possession count, when you're giving up that big of a difference, and you have two more turnovers than your opponent, that hurts when it comes down to a four-point game."
Donovan Sims led the Blue Raiders with 18 points on the night, making 6 of 11 shots from the floor and tied for the team lead with five rebounds.
Trailing 46-36 at the 15-minute mark, the Blue Raiders went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Sims to tie it at 46 with 11:31 to play and a follow of his own miss on the next possession that put MT ahead.
An attacking offensive mindset helped MT gain ground in the middle of the second half. After attempting just four free throws in the first 25 minutes of the game, the Blue Raiders got to the line 12 times in the next eight minutes as they regained and extended the lead.
After MT led by six with just under seven minutes left, the Monarchs battled back to tie the game at 61. Tyler Millin's 3-pointer with 2:11 left to play gave the Blue Raiders a 64-61 lead, but the home team scored the final seven points of the game for the win.
Joining Sims in double figures in the scoring column was Camryn Weston, who finished with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor. Weston also tied Sims for the team lead with five boards. DeAndre Dishman led MT with four assists.
Making his first collegiate start, Teafale Lenard, Jr. moved into ninth place in program history with his 41st and 42nd blocks of the season. MT falls to 2-4 all-time at Chartway Arena.
The Blue Raiders will be the No. 1 seed in the East Division when they hit the court for the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, at 8 p.m. Thursday. Middle Tennessee holds a double bye in the tournament and will await the winner of Wednesday's game between Old Dominion and UTEP.
