Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, November 16
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
3 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
3-1,0-0CUSA
67
vs
88
Murray State
2-1,0-0MVC
1
2
F
Murray St.
44
44
88
Middle Tenn.
30
37
67
Blue Raiders suffer first loss of the season 88-67 at hand of Murray State
11/16/2024 5:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. –Middle Tennessee State (3-1, 0-0 CUSA) and Murray State (2-1, 0-0 MVC) renewed one of college basketball's most storied rivalries on Saturday night in the Murphy Center. Murray State found itself victorious 88-67 in the 147th edition of the old Ohio Valley Conference rivalry.
Middle Tennessee got off to a hot start on the offensive end, putting together a 10-0 run that spanned between the 15 and 13 minute marks of the first half, going 6-of-8 in that span to get out to an early 20-11 lead in the game's first eight minutes.
The visiting Racers shot well from distance, however, going 6-of-9 to start the game, helping put together a run in which they went 9-of-9 from the field to jump out to a 31-25 lead with just over seven minutes to go in the first half.
Murray State maintained that lead for the rest of the half, taking a 44-30 advantage into the locker room. Kyeron Lindsay dropped 16 points with five rebounds while AJ Ferguson had 11 points and two rebounds on a perfect three-of-three from the field. As a team, Murray State shot 64 percent from the field in the first half.
Both Kamari Lands and Jestin Porter led the Blue Raiders in scoring with seven points a piece in the first half. The Blue Raiders had just four turnovers to Murray State's six while outscoring the Racers 14-12 in the paint at halftime.
Murray State picked right up where it left off coming out of the locker room, starting the second half on a 9-0 run that spanned the first five minutes of the second half. Middle Tennessee fought back with a 7-0 run of its' own led by Jlynn Counter and Lands to cut the Racer lead to 57-45 with 12:30 left in the game. Counter provided six of his 11 total points in the first eight minutes of the half while Lands contributed another six to get his point total to 13 by the under 12-minute media timeout.
Murray State's hot shooting would prove to be too much for Middle Tennessee to overcome, however, as the Racers finished the game 62 percent from the floor, including 53 percent from beyond the arc. Kyeron Milton paved the way for Murray State, scoring 27 points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
Middle Tennessee saw career highs in scoring in a Blue Raider uniform for both Lands and Counter, who finished with 19 and 15 points, respectively.
By the Numbers:
95: This year marks 95 years since the Blue Raiders and Racers first played each other. The first game was a 39-29 win on December 7, 1929 for Middle Tennessee.
8: Wins in a row at home for Middle Tennessee prior to today's contest, spanning back to January 13 of last season.
12:4: The advantage for the Blue Raiders on the offensive glass.
Player's Perspective: Junior Forward Kamari Lands
"They were a good team. They were physical with us and played well on both ends. They stayed composed and made shots. I feel like it came down to who was going to be the tougher team. They guarded and rebounded well and made us take tough shots. The coaches have been telling me to use my body and keep going downhill to score. They had a smaller guy guarding me, so I used my body to try and get to my spots."
McDevitt's Mic
"(Murray State) has a history of being tough, and they were really tough tonight," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Nick McDevitt. "They were physical with their drives and finished. They made a lot of shots. They were 10-of-19 from three and we were 4-of-23, that's 18 points right there. I just thought for the last 10 minutes of the first half, they were tougher than us. They ran good offense. We did that at time, just not as much as they did. At the end of the day, you've got to be able to make tough shots and make the other team take tough shots."
Up Next:
The Blue Raiders will take part in the Myrtle Beach Invitational Tournament beginning on November 21 with a tilt against the Ohio Bobcats at 11:00 A.M. CDT. Coverage will be provided by WGNS radio. Follow along on goblueraiders.com for updated information throughout the tournament.
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Middle Tennessee got off to a hot start on the offensive end, putting together a 10-0 run that spanned between the 15 and 13 minute marks of the first half, going 6-of-8 in that span to get out to an early 20-11 lead in the game's first eight minutes.
The visiting Racers shot well from distance, however, going 6-of-9 to start the game, helping put together a run in which they went 9-of-9 from the field to jump out to a 31-25 lead with just over seven minutes to go in the first half.
Murray State maintained that lead for the rest of the half, taking a 44-30 advantage into the locker room. Kyeron Lindsay dropped 16 points with five rebounds while AJ Ferguson had 11 points and two rebounds on a perfect three-of-three from the field. As a team, Murray State shot 64 percent from the field in the first half.
Both Kamari Lands and Jestin Porter led the Blue Raiders in scoring with seven points a piece in the first half. The Blue Raiders had just four turnovers to Murray State's six while outscoring the Racers 14-12 in the paint at halftime.
Murray State picked right up where it left off coming out of the locker room, starting the second half on a 9-0 run that spanned the first five minutes of the second half. Middle Tennessee fought back with a 7-0 run of its' own led by Jlynn Counter and Lands to cut the Racer lead to 57-45 with 12:30 left in the game. Counter provided six of his 11 total points in the first eight minutes of the half while Lands contributed another six to get his point total to 13 by the under 12-minute media timeout.
Murray State's hot shooting would prove to be too much for Middle Tennessee to overcome, however, as the Racers finished the game 62 percent from the floor, including 53 percent from beyond the arc. Kyeron Milton paved the way for Murray State, scoring 27 points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
Middle Tennessee saw career highs in scoring in a Blue Raider uniform for both Lands and Counter, who finished with 19 and 15 points, respectively.
By the Numbers:
95: This year marks 95 years since the Blue Raiders and Racers first played each other. The first game was a 39-29 win on December 7, 1929 for Middle Tennessee.
8: Wins in a row at home for Middle Tennessee prior to today's contest, spanning back to January 13 of last season.
12:4: The advantage for the Blue Raiders on the offensive glass.
Player's Perspective: Junior Forward Kamari Lands
"They were a good team. They were physical with us and played well on both ends. They stayed composed and made shots. I feel like it came down to who was going to be the tougher team. They guarded and rebounded well and made us take tough shots. The coaches have been telling me to use my body and keep going downhill to score. They had a smaller guy guarding me, so I used my body to try and get to my spots."
McDevitt's Mic
"(Murray State) has a history of being tough, and they were really tough tonight," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Nick McDevitt. "They were physical with their drives and finished. They made a lot of shots. They were 10-of-19 from three and we were 4-of-23, that's 18 points right there. I just thought for the last 10 minutes of the first half, they were tougher than us. They ran good offense. We did that at time, just not as much as they did. At the end of the day, you've got to be able to make tough shots and make the other team take tough shots."
Up Next:
The Blue Raiders will take part in the Myrtle Beach Invitational Tournament beginning on November 21 with a tilt against the Ohio Bobcats at 11:00 A.M. CDT. Coverage will be provided by WGNS radio. Follow along on goblueraiders.com for updated information throughout the tournament.
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Team Stats
MUR
MTSU
FG%
.615
.391
3FG%
.526
.174
FT%
.875
.684
RB
33
30
TO
12
7
STL
3
5
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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