Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
5-3,0-0CUSA
UAB
6-3,0-0American
Middle Tennessee’s scorching second half leads to 76-61 win over UAB
12/1/2025 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. —Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball (5-3, 0-0 CUSA) rode a red-hot second half to cruise to a 76-61 win over the UAB Blazers (6-3, 0-0 AAC).
With the score 13-12 in favor of the Blazers at the halfway point of the first half, Torey Alston started to take over for the Blue Raiders. The redshirt sophomore had two blocked shots and six rebounds on the defensive end while also contributing nine points by the break. Middle Tennessee had six blocks as a team at halftime; UAB taking a slim 33-32 lead into the break.
The Blue Raiders put together a 7-0 run shortly into the second half, capped off by a thunderous jam by Alston and a beautiful double-clutch layup by Tre Green to help the team gain a 45-39 advantage with 16:56 to play. Kamari Lands, Green and Alston were all in double figures at that point, prompting UAB to call a timeout.
Middle Tennessee kept the Blazers scoreless from just over the 16:00 minute mark to just over the 12:00 minute mark to increase the lead to 13, the largest of the evening.
The Blue Raiders kept their foot on the gas late, shooting 63 percent as a team in the second half including five-of-nine from three-point range. Alston led Middle Tennessee with 19 points and eight boards. Sean Smith had 16 points on five-of-10 shooting, including a team-high three long-range bombs. Jahvin Carter had his sixth game of the year in which he reached double figures, posting 13 points. Defensively, the Blue Raiders blocked eight shots and had eight steals, forcing 11 UAB turnovers.
By The Numbers
48: The Blue Raiders put up 48 points in the paint tonight, enough to outscore UAB by 12 down low.
8: Middle Tennessee tied their season high with eight blocked shots against the Blazers.
5: Five Blue Raiders notched double figures in scoring tonight, the third time for Middle Tennessee this season. The list included Tre Green, Kamari Lands, Torey Alston, Jahvin Carter and Sean Smith.
"We were really good on the defensive end for the whole night," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Nick McDevitt. "Tonight, we were really locked in on defense. UAB really thrives on second-chance points and points in the paint, so to win that battle on points in the paint was the real difference in the game. There was some familiarity with their guys, which led to a respect for their program, so we knew we had to stay locked in because that's a team that can go on a run in a hurry."
"Coach (McDevitt) talked about being such a great first-half defensive team, and how we needed to do the same in the second half, and we came out and did that tonight," Alston said. "I felt a little sick after the (Cayman Islands Classic), but my coaches and teammates helped me push through and we had a good game. They are a good team when it comes to second chance points, but tonight we showed we can be physical and rebound well."
Up Next
Middle Tennessee hosts Belmont on Sunday, Dec. 7 in the Glass House with a 3:30 p.m. CT tip-off.
