Weston’s step-back three lifts Blue Raiders past Charlotte, to C-USA semis

Thursday, March 9

Frisco, Texas

6 PM

Middle Tennessee

-1913,119 CUSA

Charlotte

-1814,911 CUSA

Charlotte

Middle Tenn.

Photo by: Matt Posey/MT Athletic Communications

3/9/2023 9:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Albany, Ga. native had a career high 22 points after making two crucial three-pointers late

By: Sam Doughton, MT Athletics

FRISCO, Texas — Camryn Weston showed up in a big way once again at the Ford Center at the Star, pushing Middle Tennessee men's basketball past Charlotte in the 2023 Conference USA Tournament quarterfinals, drilling a step-back three-pointer with 12.7 seconds to give MTSU a 66-65 lead.

Teafale Lenard Jr., Justin Bufford and DeAndre Dishman all converged to block the final shot attempt from Lu'cye Patterson as the clock expired. It was Dishman who sent the shot away, clinching a semifinals berth for the second straight season for the Blue Raiders (19-13).

After trailing the Niners (18-14) by as many as 13 in the first half, MTSU struck back with a 12-0 run in final third of the half, holding Charlotte scoreless for nearly eight minutes to retake the lead, before a late three-pointer by the Niners gave them a 28-26 lead at halftime. The Blue Raiders continued the momentum with a 6-0 run out of the locker room to take the lead most of the second half, before a late Charlotte run put MTSU on its back foot, trailing by as many as five points with 1:48 to play.

After a Patterson three from Charlotte, Weston answered immediately with a three of his own to cut the 65-60 deficit to 65-63. MTSU got the stop on the next possession, and called a timeout late in the shot clock to set up Weston's heroics.

Weston led all scorers with 22 points on the night, making eight of his 13 shots from the floor, including a 3-for-5 night from three. Justin Bufford was essential in replicating the offense of injured Eli Lawrence, scoring 12 points while missing just one shot (3-for-4, 2-for-3 from beyond the arc). DeAndre Dishman finished just one rebound away from a double-double, scoring 10 points while grabbing nine rebounds.

By the Numbers

22: Points for Camryn Weston, a new career high for the guard at MTSU. The Albany, Ga. native made two huge threes in the final two minutes of the game, none bigger than the go-ahead, step-back, fallaway jumper from the top of the key that gave MTSU a 66-65 lead with 12.7 seconds to play.

7: MTSU committed just seven turnovers against Charlotte, resulting in giving up just four points off of turnovers all night. The Blue Raiders, meanwhile, turned the Niners over 11 times, resulting in 16 points.

12 v 4: Free throws shot by MTSU and Charlotte, respectively, on the evening. The Blue Raiders were aggressive getting to the rim and were rewarded with opportunities for points, while the Niners Princeton Offense was hot with jumpers, but failed to work the ball inside and get contact.

Blue Raider Notes

Dishman has 10 or more points in every C-USA Tournament game he has played in.
Bufford tied his career high with 12 points.
The Blue Raiders improved to 12-6 all-time in C-USA Tournament games.
This is MTSU's sixth appearance in the Conference USA Semifinals and second in a row.
Lenard tied his program-record 2021-22 total with his 50^th dunk of the season.

Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt

"I'm proud of our group. I just thought we stayed tough and together. I just told the team in the locker room, they kept saying it in the huddles and then would go do it. It just wasn't words about 'Hang in there! Next play! Next play!' We got down 18-5, and they had been playing well. A soft team, weak team kind of folds it up and gets their tails whipped. I just thought we hung tough.

"Obviously, Eli Lawrence was out of the lineup tonight due to injury, so this was the first time we had started that lineup all year. We kind of felt like there was going to be some bumps early in the game, just with a new lineup, new substitution pattern, new faces out there early in the game. I thought our guys just handled it well.

"Both teams at the end started making shots, trading baskets. (Brice) Williams made a big shot. (Lu'cye) Patterson made a big shot. And both times, this guy right here (Camryn Weston) answered both. Sometimes, you've got to have a guy that can get you out of the gym, and this guy right here got us out of the gym tonight."

Player's Perspective – Camryn Weston

"The design of the play was really to get me downhill, try to get the And-1 if I needed to or just get close to the bucket. But a well-coached team is going to play great defense at the end, so it just played right into my hands. I just had to do what I had to do."

How soon did you know it was going in?

"Right when it left my hand really. It felt good from the start. I just watched it go in and felt overwhelmed when it did."

Up Next

It's a quick turnaround for MTSU, who will play No. 1 seed FAU at 11:30 am tomorrow in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. TV Coverage will be on CBS Sports Network, while the radio broadcast on the Blue Raider Radio Network will have Chip Walters and Kyle Turnham on the call.

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