Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, December 9
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
7:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
5-6,0-0CUSA
65
vs
75
Belmont
8-3,2-0MVC
1
2
F
Belmont
38
37
75
Middle Tenn.
30
35
65
Team Stats
BEL
MTSU
FG%
.537
.400
3FG%
.500
.304
FT%
.688
.609
RB
32
33
TO
10
12
STL
9
6
Game Leaders
Pts
27
FGM
9
3FGM
5
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
Blue Raiders suffer setback Saturday against Belmont
12/9/2023 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – A delay for a tornado warning at the Murphy Center didn't slow a hot shooting start Saturday night for Middle Tennessee Basketball against Belmont. But unfortunately for the Blue Raiders, a five-point lead roughly midway through the opening half evaporated into an eight-point halftime deficit, as the Blue Raiders (5-6) would fall 75-65 to its Nashville foe.
The Bruins went on a 20-7 extended run across the final 9:44 of the opening period and would stretch their lead to by as much as 18 with 8:32 left in the contest.
Belmont attempted just 12 3-point shots, but connected on 50% of them, while shooting 53.7% from the field.
By the Numbers
40: The game was delayed 40 minutes from its scheduled 7:30 p.m. tip-off due to the aforementioned tornado warning.
3: Three Blue Raiders scored in double figures, led by Elias King with 27, and followed by Chris Loofe (12) and Jared Coleman-Jones (11). King's and Loofe's offensive outputs each represented individual career-highs.
33: MTSU won the battle on the boards, 33-32.
Blue Raider Notes
· Middle Tennessee made five of its first eight 3-point attempts, with Elias King connecting on each of his first four shots from deep.
· King's 21 first half points were the most in a half this season by a Blue Raider. The Atlanta, Ga. native's 27 total points represented the highest scoring output by a Blue Raider this year.
· King's two consecutive 20-point games are the first for a Blue Raider since Jalen Jordan against Marshall on Feb. 12 and 13 in 2020-21.
· King's nine total field goals were also a career-high.
· Jacob Johnson's two blocks were a season-high and tied a career high. Additionally, the Minneapolis, Minn. native registered a season-high four assists.
· Chris Loofe paired his career-high in points with personal bests in minutes (22) and equaled a career-high in rebounds (5).
· The Blue Raiders held their opponent to fewer than 10 offensive rebounds for the fourth consecutive game, allowing the Bruins to pull down just seven offensive boards.
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I thought Belmont just looked comfortable tonight. We didn't run them out of anything they were doing offensively. Whether we pressed, played man, played zone, they just looked comfortable. I didn't think that we played with enough force on either side of the ball. I thought they were able to have strong, aggressive drives to the basket, while we finished drives sloppy.
"Defensively, they were in position, but I thought we were just sloppy with the ball [and] with our movement, and when you're playing a team like Belmont that can score the ball, you cannot afford to have empty offensive positions.
"We just didn't play with enough aggression, toughness or force. I thought we were reactive to most of what they were doing."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will be on the road for the remainder of 2023. They'll head west for a pair of games before Christmas, with a 9:00 p.m. CT tip at Saint Mary's Dec. 19 and a 7:30 p.m. CT start at Southern Utah Dec. 22.
After a week off for the holiday period, MTSU returns to action at MVC foe Murray State December 30, before opening 2024 with the non-conference finale against Reinhardt at home January 4.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
The Bruins went on a 20-7 extended run across the final 9:44 of the opening period and would stretch their lead to by as much as 18 with 8:32 left in the contest.
Belmont attempted just 12 3-point shots, but connected on 50% of them, while shooting 53.7% from the field.
By the Numbers
40: The game was delayed 40 minutes from its scheduled 7:30 p.m. tip-off due to the aforementioned tornado warning.
3: Three Blue Raiders scored in double figures, led by Elias King with 27, and followed by Chris Loofe (12) and Jared Coleman-Jones (11). King's and Loofe's offensive outputs each represented individual career-highs.
33: MTSU won the battle on the boards, 33-32.
Blue Raider Notes
· Middle Tennessee made five of its first eight 3-point attempts, with Elias King connecting on each of his first four shots from deep.
· King's 21 first half points were the most in a half this season by a Blue Raider. The Atlanta, Ga. native's 27 total points represented the highest scoring output by a Blue Raider this year.
· King's two consecutive 20-point games are the first for a Blue Raider since Jalen Jordan against Marshall on Feb. 12 and 13 in 2020-21.
· King's nine total field goals were also a career-high.
· Jacob Johnson's two blocks were a season-high and tied a career high. Additionally, the Minneapolis, Minn. native registered a season-high four assists.
· Chris Loofe paired his career-high in points with personal bests in minutes (22) and equaled a career-high in rebounds (5).
· The Blue Raiders held their opponent to fewer than 10 offensive rebounds for the fourth consecutive game, allowing the Bruins to pull down just seven offensive boards.
Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I thought Belmont just looked comfortable tonight. We didn't run them out of anything they were doing offensively. Whether we pressed, played man, played zone, they just looked comfortable. I didn't think that we played with enough force on either side of the ball. I thought they were able to have strong, aggressive drives to the basket, while we finished drives sloppy.
"Defensively, they were in position, but I thought we were just sloppy with the ball [and] with our movement, and when you're playing a team like Belmont that can score the ball, you cannot afford to have empty offensive positions.
"We just didn't play with enough aggression, toughness or force. I thought we were reactive to most of what they were doing."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will be on the road for the remainder of 2023. They'll head west for a pair of games before Christmas, with a 9:00 p.m. CT tip at Saint Mary's Dec. 19 and a 7:30 p.m. CT start at Southern Utah Dec. 22.
After a week off for the holiday period, MTSU returns to action at MVC foe Murray State December 30, before opening 2024 with the non-conference finale against Reinhardt at home January 4.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
2025 MTSU Basketball tickets on sale now - October 1st
Wednesday, October 01
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
Thursday, July 03
MTSU Men's Basketball Coach Nick McDevitt interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30
