Porter's 41 points push Blue Raiders past Miners in double overtime

Saturday, February 17

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

5 PM

Middle Tennessee

11-15,5-6CUSA

UTEP

13-13,4-7CUSA

OT 1

OT 2

UTEP

Middle Tenn.

2/17/2024 9:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Junior guard goes 8-for-8 from three for the third-most points by a Blue Raider

By: Thomas Donley, MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Jestin Porter made his mark on the Middle Tennessee men's basketball record book Saturday, propelling his team to a 96-90 double-overtime victory over UTEP at the Murphy Center. Porter scored 41 points – tied for the third-highest single-game mark in program history – while going 8-for-8 from 3-point range and 11-for-12 from the free throw line to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.

The Blue Raiders (11-15, 5-6 CUSA) came out blazing hot, making eight of their first 10 3-point attempts of the game. MTSU notched assists on each of its first nine field goals of the game and 11 of its first 12, taking a 38-32 lead into the halftime locker room.

UTEP (13-13, 4-7) clamped down defensively in the second half, scoring 18 points off turnovers and holding the Blue Raiders scoreless for a 6-and-a-half minute stretch in the middle of the period.

MTSU's free throw shooting kept it in the game in the second half, as the Blue Raiders went 13-13 from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Jared Coleman-Jones was 5-for-5, while Porter made all four of his attempts. Justin Bufford and Tre Green were each 2-for-2.

The Miners tied the game at 77 with 16 seconds to play in the first overtime period and got the ball back on the deflected subsequent inbound pass after a controversial overturned call. Tae Hardy's jump shot – contested by Coleman-Jones – missed its mark to extend the game another five minutes.

Porter scored 11 of his 41 points in the second overtime period, hitting two threes and making five of six free throws to keep the game on ice.

Coleman-Jones scored 15 points to go along with a career-high tying 13 rebounds and a personal-best eight assists. Justin Bufford put up 12 points to go along with five rebounds. Elias King added 11 points of his own.

By the Numbers
8: Porter's eight made 3-pointers without a miss set new records for both Middle Tennessee and Conference USA men's basketball.

87.5: MTSU's free throw percentage, which was its highest this season in a game with two or more attempts. Its 28 made free throws were a new season high.

19: Middle Tennessee's 19 assists were a season high.

Blue Raider Notes

Porter's 41 points equaled the most by a Blue Raider since January 23, 1965.
The Blue Raiders have shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line five times in their last seven games.
Coleman-Jones recorded his fifth career double-double and was two assists away from what would have been the first triple-double by a Blue Raider against a Division I opponent.
MTSU improved to 3-1 in overtime games on the season and 3-5 all-time in double-OT games.

Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt
"I thought it was kind of like a heavyweight boxing match there for a while. You've got to be able to land some big punches and take some as well. We got up three a couple times, [Jon] Dos Anjos makes a couple big shots. Reviews happen… and neither went in our favor, and I didn't think it deflated or flattened our team. I just thought we were mentally and physically tough. So were they. You've got to be that, or they'll rough you up. Our turnovers were high, but you can expect that when you play [UTEP]. I thought we really moved the ball well."

"I thought JP was terrific. I've seen some really good shooters. We've had some terrific shooters here - Jalen Jordan at Marshall a couple years ago goes 7-for-7 from three. But to have 41 points on 8-of-8 from three and 11-of-12 from the free throw line is pretty incredible. But he works on it."

Player's Perspective: Jestin Porter
"I was feeling like we needed to get [UTEP] back. We had too many turnovers last time we played them, so I know it's going to be a more physical game. They were going to try to turn us over again, which they did... but we bounced back and we fought. It was about toughness today."

Up Next
MTSU hits the road for a midweek contest at Jacksonville State on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 pm on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Network.

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