Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

Blue Raiders' comeback undone by buzzer beater at UTSA
1/5/2023 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MTSU erased a 17-point deficit before UTSA knocked down a last-second three
SAN ANTONIO – Having trailed by 17 with just over eight minutes to play, Middle Tennessee men's basketball tied Thursday's game at 72 with 13 seconds to play on Eli Lawrence's 3-point play. But UTSA's John Buggs III knocked down a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a 75-72 Conference USA victory at the Convocation Center.
MTSU dug itself a hole by turning the ball over 14 times, leading to 17 Roadrunner points. The Blue Raiders outscored the host team 29-15 the rest of the way, finishing the second half with a .593 shooting percentage (16-for-27) from the floor, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range.
The Roadrunners finished with a 34-30 edge in points in the paint, outrebounding MTSU 31-30. Turnovers were 14-8 in favor of UTSA.
Lawrence led Middle Tennessee with 20 points and six rebounds Thursday. Camryn Weston added 15 points and five rebounds of his own. Jestin Porter chipped in with 12 points, nine of which came in the second half. DeAndre Dishman's five assists were a team high.
By the Numbers
.529: MTSU shot .529 from 3-point range (9-for-17), its best performance from beyond the arc on the season.
23.5: Eli Lawrence averages 23.5 points per game at UTSA for his career, having set his personal best with 27 there in his freshman year.
11: UTSA made 11 more free throws (20) than the Blue Raiders did (9).
Blue Raider Notes
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I liked our fight in the last six to eight minutes of the game. I didn't like our fight in the first 30 to 32 minutes of the game. I just thought we were trading baskets. I thought they were the tougher team. You look at 'effort' stats, 'toughness' stats, they won them all, whether it was points in the paint, or rebounds – they played a 2-3 zone for the majority of the game, and we had 14 turnovers. I just thought we were too lackadaisical. And all of a sudden, you look up, and we're down 15, 16 points, and you've dug a real big hole. We started being aggressive on both ends at that point. We tied the game, and the kid hit an incredible shot.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee returns to the Murphy Center to take on North Texas on Saturday in a battle of the 2022 Conference USA East and West Division Champions. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
MTSU dug itself a hole by turning the ball over 14 times, leading to 17 Roadrunner points. The Blue Raiders outscored the host team 29-15 the rest of the way, finishing the second half with a .593 shooting percentage (16-for-27) from the floor, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range.
The Roadrunners finished with a 34-30 edge in points in the paint, outrebounding MTSU 31-30. Turnovers were 14-8 in favor of UTSA.
Lawrence led Middle Tennessee with 20 points and six rebounds Thursday. Camryn Weston added 15 points and five rebounds of his own. Jestin Porter chipped in with 12 points, nine of which came in the second half. DeAndre Dishman's five assists were a team high.
By the Numbers
.529: MTSU shot .529 from 3-point range (9-for-17), its best performance from beyond the arc on the season.
23.5: Eli Lawrence averages 23.5 points per game at UTSA for his career, having set his personal best with 27 there in his freshman year.
11: UTSA made 11 more free throws (20) than the Blue Raiders did (9).
Blue Raider Notes
- Thursday's loss was just MTSU's second ever to the Roadrunners.
- Over its last 60 minutes of basketball, Middle Tennessee is shooting .615 (16-for-26) from 3-point range.
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I liked our fight in the last six to eight minutes of the game. I didn't like our fight in the first 30 to 32 minutes of the game. I just thought we were trading baskets. I thought they were the tougher team. You look at 'effort' stats, 'toughness' stats, they won them all, whether it was points in the paint, or rebounds – they played a 2-3 zone for the majority of the game, and we had 14 turnovers. I just thought we were too lackadaisical. And all of a sudden, you look up, and we're down 15, 16 points, and you've dug a real big hole. We started being aggressive on both ends at that point. We tied the game, and the kid hit an incredible shot.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee returns to the Murphy Center to take on North Texas on Saturday in a battle of the 2022 Conference USA East and West Division Champions. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.
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
UTSA
FG%
.519
.455
3FG%
.529
.313
FT%
.563
.741
RB
30
31
TO
14
8
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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