Counter, Mostafa shine in victory over Evansville, 80-63

Wednesday, November 13

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6:30 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

3-0,0-0CUSA

Evansville

1-2,0-0MVC

Evansville

Middle Tenn.

11/13/2024 10:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Game Book Photo Gallery

By: Logan Hasselbach

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – In a classic tale of two halves, the Middle Tennessee men's basketball team charged forward after a slower start to defeat Evansville 80-63 in the Murphy Center. The Purple Aces were able to get off to a hot start, but the Blue Raiders took control at the end of the first half and never looked back.

It was another cold start for Middle Tennessee, who was unable to get on the board until the two-minute mark in the opening half. Evansville dominated possession and shooting early on, jumping out to a 7-2 lead three minutes into the game. The Blue Raiders were able to find their footing from there on out, with the two teams exchanging the lead throughout the first half. Neither team had more than a four-point lead in the first half after the initial sub to put Jlynn Counter and Chris Loofe into the game.

Counter looked phenomenal from the jump, notching 12 points in the opening 20 minutes of play on 6-for-9 shooting, while also grabbing four rebounds. The senior transfer guard finished the game just one point shy of his season-high with 14. Counter also snatched three steals in the contest to go along with his first block of the season.

What proved to be the turning point for the Blue Raiders was a shooting foul drawn by Justin Bufford, who has struggled with free-throw shooting this season, averaging 25.0 percent coming into Wednesday night's game. He knocked down all three free throws allotted, putting MT on top for one final time in the first half and sent the team into the locker room with a 41-38 lead. The Blue Raiders have led at the half in all three games played so far this season.

The locker room speech from head coach Nick McDevitt seemed to be effective coming into the final 20, with the Blue Raiders quickly jumping out to a 53-40 lead less than four minutes into the second, forcing the Purple Aces to use a timeout. The Murphy Center crowd was electric, as the home team continued to make jumpers and grab both offensive and defensive boards. Essam Mostafa, who had just seven points in the opening frame, piled on the scoring in the first three minutes, notching five more scores and four more boards.

It was all Middle Tennessee from then out, excelling at all factors of the game. When the final whistle blew, the Blue Raiders had shot 50.0 percent from the field, grabbed 47 rebounds, blocked six shots and snatched five steals from the Purple Aces. The team was able to hold UE to just 34.4 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from deep, the latter of which ties the lowest of any opponent this season.

Mostafa shined in his third game as a Blue Raider, earning his second double-double and leading the team in scoring and assists for the first time this season. His 10 boards also were the most by any Blue Raider, the second time he has earned this nod.

By the Numbers
87.0: Making 20 of the 23 free throws awarded, the Blue Raiders shot the best free throw percentage of the season.
3: Players in double-digit scoring – Essam Mostafa (18 pts), Jlynn Counter (14 pts) and Camryn Weston (13 pts).
41: Essam Mostafa's 18 points (8-9) and 10 rebounds marked his 41st career double-double.
50: The Blue Raiders racked up 50 points in the paint, the most of the season and the most since December 10, 2022, when MT scored 50 in the paint against Belmont

McDevitt's Mic
"I thought we started adjusting better to Evansville's style of play in the second half, but our ability to rebound the ball was the biggest difference – being plus 18 on the glass," said head coach Nick McDevitt. "We had some silly turnovers to start the game. Once our ball carrying got better, we started touching the paint a lot more in the second half."