Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, November 23
George Town, Grand Cayman
6:30 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
4-1,0-0CUSA
90
vs
87
Murray State
4-2,0-0MVC
1
2
F
Murray St.
40
47
87
Middle Tenn.
43
47
90
Alston's career night pushes Blue Raiders past Murray State
11/23/2025 10:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman — Middle Tennessee (4-1) opened the Cayman Islands Classic with a 90-87 win over Murray State (4-2) on Sunday evening at John Gray Gymnasium.
Blue Raider forward Torey Alston set the tone early, throwing down two posterizing dunks and dominating the glass to record a double-double in the first half alone, the third of his career. He finished with career highs in both points and rebounds with 26 and 16.
Alec Oglesby added 17 points, knocking down four 3-pointers while collecting five rebounds and four assists. Chris Loofe and Sean Smith each chipped in 10 points to put four Blue Raiders in double figures.
Freshman Luka Jovanovic also made a sizable impact on the game, with his tip-in dunk marking a strong turning point for the Blue Raiders in the second half. He followed it up by taking a charge on the opposite end of the court to continue pushing the energy up.
Middle Tennessee carried a 43-40 lead into halftime, its highest-scoring first half this season against a Division I opponent, as the Blue Raiders followed with a 47-point second half to seal the win.
Nick McDevitt:
"There are four good teams in this (Cayman Islands Classic). If you want to win a game, you need to play pretty well, and we saw that tonight. I thought both teams played well, I mean the second half had 47 (points) all, and we were able to get to 90 so that's a big win for us… Torey Alston was awesome, and Alec Oglesby was able to get the lid off and shot the ball well, and we needed every one of them."
By the Numbers
43: Most points scored in the first half against a Division I opponent this season.
26, 16: Alston's career-high points and rebounds in his third career double-double.
4: Blue Raiders in double figures (Alston 26, Oglesby 17, Loofe 10, Smith 10).
60: of the 90 points were scored in the paint.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee faces George Washington on Monday at 4 p.m. in the second game of the Cayman Islands Classic.
Blue Raider forward Torey Alston set the tone early, throwing down two posterizing dunks and dominating the glass to record a double-double in the first half alone, the third of his career. He finished with career highs in both points and rebounds with 26 and 16.
Alec Oglesby added 17 points, knocking down four 3-pointers while collecting five rebounds and four assists. Chris Loofe and Sean Smith each chipped in 10 points to put four Blue Raiders in double figures.
Freshman Luka Jovanovic also made a sizable impact on the game, with his tip-in dunk marking a strong turning point for the Blue Raiders in the second half. He followed it up by taking a charge on the opposite end of the court to continue pushing the energy up.
Middle Tennessee carried a 43-40 lead into halftime, its highest-scoring first half this season against a Division I opponent, as the Blue Raiders followed with a 47-point second half to seal the win.
Nick McDevitt:
"There are four good teams in this (Cayman Islands Classic). If you want to win a game, you need to play pretty well, and we saw that tonight. I thought both teams played well, I mean the second half had 47 (points) all, and we were able to get to 90 so that's a big win for us… Torey Alston was awesome, and Alec Oglesby was able to get the lid off and shot the ball well, and we needed every one of them."
By the Numbers
43: Most points scored in the first half against a Division I opponent this season.
26, 16: Alston's career-high points and rebounds in his third career double-double.
4: Blue Raiders in double figures (Alston 26, Oglesby 17, Loofe 10, Smith 10).
60: of the 90 points were scored in the paint.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee faces George Washington on Monday at 4 p.m. in the second game of the Cayman Islands Classic.
Team Stats
MUR
MTSU
FG%
.484
.500
3FG%
.318
.375
FT%
.690
.556
RB
34
46
TO
8
10
STL
4
3
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
12
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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