Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, December 22
Cedar City, Utah
7:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
5-8,0-0CUSA
63
at
69
Southern Utah
4-8,0-2WAC
1
2
F
Middle Tenn.
37
26
63
Southern Utah
31
38
69
Southern Utah comes back to defeat Blue Raiders
12/22/2023 10:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Middle Tennessee men's basketball fell to Southern Utah 69-63 Friday. The Blue Raiders jumped out to an early lead but could not overcome a 16-3 disparity in turnovers.
The Thunderbirds (4-8, 2-0 WAC) scored 21 points off turnovers, compared to MTSU's five. The Blue Raiders (5-8, 0-0 Conference USA) outrebounded the home team 41-33, but SUU won the second chance point battle 10-4.
Middle Tennessee jumped out to a 13-2 lead out of the gate and led 37-31 at halftime after Jalen Jordan's lead-extending buzzer beater. The Thunderbirds outscored the Blue Raiders by 12 in the second half, taking advantage of 12-4 edge in personal fouls by going 7-for-10 from the free throw line while MTSU did not set foot on the charity stripe once after halftime.
Jestin Porter set a career high with 26 points to lead all scorers, going 11-for-16 from the floor and 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
Jordan and Chris Loofe each grabbed nine rebounds, new career highs for both. Porter and Justin Bufford led the way with three assists each.
By the Numbers
18: Porter had 18 points in the first half, setting a new season-high scoring total before intermission.
9: The Thunderbirds were called for nine personal fouls Friday night, compared to 20 for the Blue Raiders.
4: MTSU threw down a season-high four dunks.
Blue Raider Notes
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I thought a lot of guys played really hard. I thought JP [Porter] played really, really well. We've all known that he can do what he did tonight. That's the way he's built.
I thought we played hard, but on the road, you've got to play really hard and really good. I thought the difference was our turnovers."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders are off until December 30 when they head to Murray State.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
The Thunderbirds (4-8, 2-0 WAC) scored 21 points off turnovers, compared to MTSU's five. The Blue Raiders (5-8, 0-0 Conference USA) outrebounded the home team 41-33, but SUU won the second chance point battle 10-4.
Middle Tennessee jumped out to a 13-2 lead out of the gate and led 37-31 at halftime after Jalen Jordan's lead-extending buzzer beater. The Thunderbirds outscored the Blue Raiders by 12 in the second half, taking advantage of 12-4 edge in personal fouls by going 7-for-10 from the free throw line while MTSU did not set foot on the charity stripe once after halftime.
Jestin Porter set a career high with 26 points to lead all scorers, going 11-for-16 from the floor and 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
Jordan and Chris Loofe each grabbed nine rebounds, new career highs for both. Porter and Justin Bufford led the way with three assists each.
By the Numbers
18: Porter had 18 points in the first half, setting a new season-high scoring total before intermission.
9: The Thunderbirds were called for nine personal fouls Friday night, compared to 20 for the Blue Raiders.
4: MTSU threw down a season-high four dunks.
Blue Raider Notes
- Porter came within one point of the Blue Raiders' highest individual scoring output on the year.
- Jordan made his first start since March 10, 2021.
- Middle Tennessee fell to 0-2 all time in the state of Utah.
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I thought a lot of guys played really hard. I thought JP [Porter] played really, really well. We've all known that he can do what he did tonight. That's the way he's built.
I thought we played hard, but on the road, you've got to play really hard and really good. I thought the difference was our turnovers."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders are off until December 30 when they head to Murray State.
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
SUU
FG%
.509
.377
3FG%
.235
.261
FT%
1.000
.647
RB
41
33
TO
16
3
STL
1
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
11
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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