Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, March 9
Ruston, La.
2 PM
Middle Tennessee
13-18,7-9CUSA
70
at
84
LA Tech
22-9,12-4CUSA
1
2
F
Middle Tenn.
37
33
70
Louisiana Tech
40
44
84
Bulldogs hold off Blue Raiders in regular season finale
3/9/2024 4:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RUSTON, La. — Middle Tennessee closed the first half strong but could not maintain its momentum in the second as it fell 84-70 at LA Tech on Saturday. Elias King picked up a double-double in the effort.
The Blue Raiders (13-18, 7-9 Conference USA) made eight of their final 10 field goals of the opening period after falling behind 17-7 early. A 9-for-26 performance from the floor in the second half kept the visiting team from clawing all the way back.
The Bulldogs (22-9, 12-4) had three players score 19 points and three record seven or more rebounds. LA Tech opened each half on a 7-0 run in the 14-point win.
King led the Blue Raiders with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jestin Porter and Jared Coleman-Jones led the team with two assists each.
By the Numbers
11: King's 11 rebounds were a new career high.
28: The Bulldogs outscored the Blue Raiders 44-16 in the paint, a 28-point margin.
7: With wins by Liberty and New Mexico State and Jacksonville State's loss to Sam Houston, Middle Tennessee will be the No. 7 seed in the CUSA Championship.
Blue Raider Notes
Coach's Comments: Nick McDevitt
"I thought the 7-0 run to start the second half was a different 7-0. At the start of the game, I thought we were reactive, particularly on the offensive end of the floor. We just weren't running tough enough offense to get the shots that we wanted. To start the second half, we got some wide-open shots, and we just didn't make them. The shot quality was there.
The biggest thing was we didn't do a good job keeping them out of the paint. If you go into our locker room right now, the thing at the top of the whiteboard, the number one key to the game was protecting the paint. And 44 of their 84 points were in the paint."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders open the CUSA Championship with a quarterfinal matchup against LA Tech on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Huntsville, Ala.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Print Friendly Version
The Blue Raiders (13-18, 7-9 Conference USA) made eight of their final 10 field goals of the opening period after falling behind 17-7 early. A 9-for-26 performance from the floor in the second half kept the visiting team from clawing all the way back.
The Bulldogs (22-9, 12-4) had three players score 19 points and three record seven or more rebounds. LA Tech opened each half on a 7-0 run in the 14-point win.
King led the Blue Raiders with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jestin Porter and Jared Coleman-Jones led the team with two assists each.
By the Numbers
11: King's 11 rebounds were a new career high.
28: The Bulldogs outscored the Blue Raiders 44-16 in the paint, a 28-point margin.
7: With wins by Liberty and New Mexico State and Jacksonville State's loss to Sam Houston, Middle Tennessee will be the No. 7 seed in the CUSA Championship.
Blue Raider Notes
- MTSU and LA Tech will have a rematch in the quarterfinal round of the CUSA Tournament at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Huntsville, Ala.
- The Blue Raiders turned the ball over just eight times, marking the first time all season they had a single-digit turnover total in back-to-back games.
- King's double-double was his first of the season and the third of his career.
Coach's Comments: Nick McDevitt
"I thought the 7-0 run to start the second half was a different 7-0. At the start of the game, I thought we were reactive, particularly on the offensive end of the floor. We just weren't running tough enough offense to get the shots that we wanted. To start the second half, we got some wide-open shots, and we just didn't make them. The shot quality was there.
The biggest thing was we didn't do a good job keeping them out of the paint. If you go into our locker room right now, the thing at the top of the whiteboard, the number one key to the game was protecting the paint. And 44 of their 84 points were in the paint."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders open the CUSA Championship with a quarterfinal matchup against LA Tech on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Huntsville, Ala.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (//MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Print Friendly Version
Team Stats
MTSU
LATech
FG%
.377
.485
3FG%
.304
.438
FT%
.793
.722
RB
31
42
TO
8
6
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
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