Blue Raiders trounce Panthers with second half offensive outburst

Saturday, January 27

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

5 PM

Middle Tennessee

8-13,2-4CUSA

FIU

7-14,2-4CUSA

FIU

Middle Tenn.

1/27/2024 8:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Three Blue Raiders scored at least 19 points in the 79-61 romp.

By: Sam Doughton, MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball wrapped up a hot week inside in the Murphy Center, shooting the lights out in the second half to blast their way past FIU 79-61 on Saturday night in Conference USA play.

MTSU (8-13, 2-4 CUSA) trailed by just one point, 34-33 at the half. Strong three-point shooting from Elias King (3-for-5 at the half) and Tre Green (2-for-3 at the break) kept the Blue Raiders in the game despite the Panthers (7-14, 2-4 CUSA) turning over the home team eight times in the first half, scoring 14 points off those MTSU turnovers.

The second half would see the lead change seven more times in the first ten minutes, before MTSU took the lead for good on a Jestin Porter three with 9:19 to play. That sparked an 8-0 from the Blue Raiders, who outscored the Panthers 28-9 the rest of the way, shooting 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from the floor and 57.1 percent (4-for-7) from three, including a wide-open three-pointer from Jared Coleman-Jones to cap off a 9-0 run to end the game.

King led all scorers with 23 points, shooting an efficient 8-for-11 from the floor on Saturday, including a 5-for-8 night beyond the arc, none bigger than the 35-footer that MTSU a 67-57 lead with 4:41 to go. It was the wing's second 20+ point game this week. Jestin Porter also scored 20 points in back-to-back games, scoring 20 on the dot against FIU while snagging eight rebounds and dishing out four assists. Jared Coleman-Jones also dished out four assists, just missing out on a double-double with 19 points and team-high nine rebounds. He also led the Blue Raiders with three steals and two blocks.

By the Numbers
19: Points for Jared Coleman-Jones, a career-high for the junior forward. The 6-foot-10 Northwestern transfer was 6-for-6 at the charity stripe on Saturday, drawing six fouls against the Panthers.

15: Second chance points for the Blue Raiders, just edging out the Panthers by three points in the category. The Blue Raiders scored nine of those second chance points on seven offensive rebounds in the second half. Elias King led MTSU with four offensive boards.

8: Turnovers for the reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Year, FIU's Arturo Dean. MTSU is just the second team to turn Dean over as many times as he was turned over on Saturday, joining UTEP (which leads the nation in forced turnovers) on January 13, 2024.

Blue Raider Notes

Jared Coleman-Jones has blocked multiple shots in five straight games and six of his last seven.
Jestin Porter has back-to-back games of 20-plus points for the first time in his career.
Elias King has back-to-back 20-point games for the second time this season.
The Blue Raiders are 35-42 (.833) from the free throw line over their last two games after entering the week shooting .653 from the charity stripe.

Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"That was a really good win for us. Anytime you play FIU, you better stay locked in mentally or else you'll make a lot of mistakes. Even with double-digit leads, it's different when you're playing them because of the pace of the game. Whether you're up 10, 12 or 15, it's not a comfortable lead. But the same is true on the other side of the ball because of the amount of possessions that's going to be in the game. Even when you're behind seven, eight, 10 points, you've got to stay focused on what you've got to do.

"I thought we were able to do a pretty good job of taking care of the ball. That was the biggest key that we talked about all week. Not losing the turnover battle by a wide margin. We ended up 16-16 in that regard. Really, everybody we put in the game played well. But I thought Jared was terrific on both ends of the floor. Our best offense was when he was getting touches.

"Things have started to look different the last couple of weeks. We talked in here the last time about not just being results oriented but process oriented. The process has stayed the same the last couple of weeks and that'll be our challenge going forward is being able to do that next week against Western. But a really good homestand and a good crowd. It was great to see a lot of folks here. We heard them. It was a really good Saturday."

Player's Perspective – Jared Coleman-Jones
On his four assists
"It's just about having patience. When I catch the ball on the block, earlier in the season I would just put my head down and try to work. I sped up. Now I just take my time, see the floor. Hold it in a position where I'm comfortable with it. If someone slaps it, it's not going to come loose. And if I see my man open, I'm going to pass it to him."

Up Next
Middle Tennessee will start a three-game road trip away from the Murphy Center in a week's time, taking on rival Western Kentucky on February 3 in Bowling Green. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on ESPNU and the Blue Raider Radio Network.

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