First-half surge pushes Blue Raiders past Bulldogs in final home game of regular season

Saturday, February 25

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

3 PM

Middle Tennessee

-1811,117 CUSA

LA Tech

-1316,612 CUSA

Louisiana Tech

Middle Tenn.

2/25/2023 6:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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MTSU claims bye in C-USA Tournament with the win over LA Tech

By: Sam Doughton, MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball blasted its way through a 19-2 run in the first half, powering a dominant afternoon where it led by as many as 29 points en route to a 63-48 victory over LA Tech on Saturday at the Murphy Center.

In the final home game of the 2022-23 regular season, the Blue Raiders (18-11, 11-7) were locked in defensively early, at one point holding the Bulldogs (13-16, 6-12) to 5-for-26 from the field (19.2 percent). That defense led to strong offensive output, as MTSU strung together a pair of runs (11-0, 8-0) starting at the 10:23 mark to push the Blue Raiders to a 20-point advantage at the half.

The lead would grow to as many as 29 points, before LA Tech would counter with a 15-0 run of their own thanks to an active defense. But MTSU calmly responded late, taking their time on their final possessions to easily cruise to the final margin.

Elias King led MTSU with 13 points, earning his second career double-double by hauling in 10 rebounds on Saturday. Eli Lawrence (12 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Justin Bufford (11 points) were the other Blue Raiders in double figures. Teafale Lenard had another impactful night on both ends of the court, scoring nine points, grabbing six boards and swatting four blocks. DeAndre Dishman scored three points and dished out three assists in his final home game as a Blue Raider.

With the win, MTSU guarantees a Top 5 finish in the C-USA standings for the regular season, securing a bye in the C-USA Tournament in two weeks in Frisco, Texas.

By the Numbers

24-12: The bench point advantage for MTSU. Playing a LA Tech roster down to just nine active players, the Blue Raiders made great use of their reserves, led by 13 points from Elias King, but also seven points from Jestin Porter, who led the team in +/- with +13 on the night.

13 points, 10 rebounds: The stat line that gave Elias King his second career double-double. The Mississippi State transfer earned his first career double-double earlier this season, when he scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Hofstra in the Northern Classic.

3-for-18: LA Tech's three-point shooting on Saturday, just 16.7 percent beyond the arc. MTSU was active in contesting shots, helping stymie as much momentum as possible during the Bulldogs' comeback attempt.

Blue Raider Notes

Dishman ends his time as a Blue Raider with 323 points scored in the Murphy Center.
The Blue Raiders have held opponents to 59.6 points per game in regulation over their last 31 home games.
Justin Bufford was one point away from his career high.

Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt

"Really happy with our team over the last ten days to two weeks. I thought our prep leading up to FAU and FIU last weekend was good. That was obviously a good weekend and (this week) was another good week of getting ready for a tough LA Tech team.

"They don't quit, they don't go away. We looked at some of their scores in games over the last week to two weeks where they were down double-digit deficits and cut it four late in the game. We got up 29 and then we were kind of going through motions for four or five minutes. Outside of those four or five minutes, I thought we had a lot of guys that played well.

"Happy for Dish, 25-year-old, seventh-year senior. If you took that uniform off, you'd see all kinds of bandages and scars and all kinds of things to keep him put together. But he is a tough young man, happy for him to be able to finish off his home career here with a win."

Player's Perspective – DeAndre Dishman

"I don't think it's hit me completely. We've still got to come in here and have a hard practice and prepare for the next few games. I think it will hit me later in the season, once we finish those away games, once we hit tournament time when it's either win or go home.

"It was surreal. Just feeling the energy from the fans and all the support. They've seen me through the downs, they've seen me through the ups since I've been here. It feels good to get that appraisal from the fans."

Up Next

Middle Tennessee concludes the regular season on the road next week in Texas, starting with a game Thursday night against North Texas. Tipoff in Denton, Texas on Thursday is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network and the Blue Raider Radio Network.

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