Middle Tennessee outlasts California Baptist 75-64 behind a career-high 30 from Weston

Monday, December 16

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6:30 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

8-3,0-0CUSA

Cal Baptist

5-6,0-0WAC

California Baptist

Middle Tenn.

12/16/2024 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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By: Anthony Fiorella

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Following a nine-day hiatus from action, Middle Tennessee (8-3, 0-0 CUSA) returned to the court Monday night against the California Baptist Lancers (5-6, 0-0 WAC) Though both the Blue Raiders and Lancers were coming off games against formidable opponents in which they lost by a narrow margin, it was the Blue Raiders that found themselves triumphant on home court, winning 75-64 in the Glass House behind a masterful performance from Middle Tennessee point guard Camryn Weston off the bench.

Neither team was able to muster a lot of offense in the first half, as both teams combined to shoot 19-for-61 from the field. Middle Tennessee point guard Jlynn Counter, who made his third start of the season, had a good first half, individually. The Oklahoma City native led all scorers with eight points and pulled down a game-high four rebounds to that point. CBU's prolific scorer Dominique Daniels Jr was the Lancers' leading scorer at the half, with six points but was limited to 3-of-12 shooting against the Blue Raider combo of Counter and Weston.

While Counter was the lone offensive bright spot in the first half, it was the spark Weston provided off the bench that proved to be the deciding factor for Middle Tennessee in the second half. While Weston did provide a career-high 30 points, it was his work on the defensive end against Daniels Jr that proved to be huge in the game. Combined with Counter, Weston helped hold Daniels Jr to 7-of-22 shooting and prevented one of Daniels Jr's usual scoring outbursts. Down on the low block, Essam Mostafa and Chris Loofe did a good job of keeping CBU's second-leading scorer, big man Kendal Coleman, at bay. Coleman had just six points.

The Blue Raiders went on an 8-0 run sparked by the backcourt bench tandem of Weston and Tre Green in just under a full minute of play. Weston provided a pair of threes and Green skied to tip in a missed shot to cause CBU head coach Rick Croy to call timeout down 42-34 with just over 11:00 minutes to play. The eight-point Blue Raider advantage was the largest lead for either team to that spot in the game.

Down the stretch, Middle Tennessee did just enough offensively to close it out, sinking four of its last five baskets. Counter finished the game with 12 points and team-high six rebounds while Weston had five rebounds to go with his career-high 30 points. Forward Kamari Lands finished with 10 points and five rebounds while reserve guard Green provided an important seven points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

By the Numbers:
8: The Blue Raiders' eight wins through the first 11 games ties the 2021-22 squad for the most in the McDevitt era.
29:46: The amount of time elapsed in tonight's game before a single player reached double-digits in scoring.
30: A new career-high in points for Camryn Weston, also the first time a Blue Raider has scored 30 in a game this season.
31: California Baptist's field-goal percentage in the game. That was the second lowest field goal percentage a team has shot against the Blue Raiders this season.

Player's Perspective: R-SR Guard Camryn Weston
"I give all the credit to my teammates," Weston said. "Even at the end, they were telling me how much they wanted me to get to 30 (points). They helped me out a lot. We had a week off coming in, so we had time to get prepared for (CBU). Daniels (Jr) was a great player who was hard to guard. For me, it took a while to warm up, but once I did, I felt great."

McDevitt's Mic:
"We knew it was going to be a physical game," said Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt. "They put a lot of pressure on our defense. They have two guys in Daniels Jr and Coleman that make you work every single possession. Both teams ran quick offense and made each other work. It was a tale of two halves. We only had 25 points in the first half and 50 in the second. The biggest difference I thought for us was ball care. We had nine turnovers in the first half and just two in the second. We got some points down the stretch because of them fouling, but it was a big thing, taking care of the ball. We had several guys that had great games. Cam Weston was hot, Kamari Lands played really well, especially defensively, and Jlynn Counter played a really tough 30 minutes."

Up Next:
The Blue Raiders remain at home this week for a Thursday-night tilt with the Lipscomb Bisons at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Coverage will be provided by ESPN+ and WGNS radio.
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).