Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Wednesday, January 11
Houston, Texas
7 PM
Middle Tennessee
-107,33 CUSA
71
at
68
Rice
-115,23 CUSA
1
2
F
Middle Tenn.
22
49
71
Rice
36
32
68
Blue Raiders erase 16-point deficit to complete season sweep of Rice
1/11/2023 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON – Middle Tennessee men's basketball dug a 16-point hole in the first half Wednesday, but the Blue Raiders fought back to defeat Rice 71-68 at Tudor Fieldhouse, snapping a two-game losing skid. Eli Lawrence and DeAndre Dishman scored 13 points apiece in the second half to fuel the comeback.
The Blue Raiders started strong, building a 10-4 lead by the five-minute mark. The Owls responded by making 13 of their 22 field goal attempts over the final 15 minutes of the first half while MTSU went 0-10 from 3-point range in the opening period.
It took a little luck for the Blue Raiders to regain the lead. An attempted alley-oop pass from Dishman, intended for Teafale Lenard, Jr., instead became a made 3-pointer. Lawrence's corner three with 5:13 left in regulation gave MTSU its first lead since the first half.
Middle Tennessee shot nearly 70 percent from the floor in the second half, including an 8-for-12 performance from 3-point range. Lawrence finished with 21 points to lead the Blue Raiders. Dishman ended up with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
By the Numbers
11: MTSU blocked 11 shots as a team, the fourth-most in a game in program history.
.521: Lawrence is shooting .521 (38-for-73) from the floor over his last seven games.
6: Dishman's double-double was the sixth of his career and his fourth as a Blue Raider. Seven of his 10 rebounds came in the second half.
Blue Raider Notes
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I'm really proud of our team in terms of toughness. We're on the road, this team's 9-2 in their last 11 games… I was really impressed with North Texas's team toughness when we had a big lead [Saturday]. They just didn't stop being who they were, and I thought that was us tonight in the second half."
Player's Perspective – Eli Lawrence
"We just had to find a way to get that monkey off our back. We played hard tonight. It took us to challenge ourselves in the locker room at halftime. We just had to really find it within ourselves to come out and play hard.
"I had to dedicate this win to my late friend, [Demarcus Harley]. I got the call three years ago today that he passed away, and I felt that he was with me the whole night."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee is back home after an extended break to take on UAB at the Murphy Center at 8 p.m. Monday.
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 started strong, building a 10-4 lead by the five-minute mark. The Owls responded by making 13 of their 22 field goal attempts over the final 15 minutes of the first half while MTSU went 0-10 from 3-point range in the opening period.
It took a little luck for the Blue Raiders to regain the lead. An attempted alley-oop pass from Dishman, intended for Teafale Lenard, Jr., instead became a made 3-pointer. Lawrence's corner three with 5:13 left in regulation gave MTSU its first lead since the first half.
Middle Tennessee shot nearly 70 percent from the floor in the second half, including an 8-for-12 performance from 3-point range. Lawrence finished with 21 points to lead the Blue Raiders. Dishman ended up with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
By the Numbers
11: MTSU blocked 11 shots as a team, the fourth-most in a game in program history.
.521: Lawrence is shooting .521 (38-for-73) from the floor over his last seven games.
6: Dishman's double-double was the sixth of his career and his fourth as a Blue Raider. Seven of his 10 rebounds came in the second half.
Blue Raider Notes
- MTSU improves to 8-7 all-time against Rice and 2-1 on Wednesdays in 2022-23.
- Justin Bufford tied his career high with four blocked shots.
- Lawrence recorded his third 20-point game this year and the fifth of his career.
- Rice came into the game having won 10 of its last 12 games.
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I'm really proud of our team in terms of toughness. We're on the road, this team's 9-2 in their last 11 games… I was really impressed with North Texas's team toughness when we had a big lead [Saturday]. They just didn't stop being who they were, and I thought that was us tonight in the second half."
Player's Perspective – Eli Lawrence
"We just had to find a way to get that monkey off our back. We played hard tonight. It took us to challenge ourselves in the locker room at halftime. We just had to really find it within ourselves to come out and play hard.
"I had to dedicate this win to my late friend, [Demarcus Harley]. I got the call three years ago today that he passed away, and I felt that he was with me the whole night."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee is back home after an extended break to take on UAB at the Murphy Center at 8 p.m. Monday.
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
MTSU
Rice
FG%
.500
.475
3FG%
.364
.308
FT%
.538
.615
RB
33
34
TO
11
14
STL
10
6
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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