Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
11-10,5-5CUSA
WKU
12-10,5-6CUSA
Middle Tennessee falls 65-60 to Western Kentucky
1/31/2026 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee (11-10, 5-5 CUSA) couldn't overcome a large scoring drought in the second half in a 65-60 loss to Western Kentucky (12-10, 5-6 CUSA).
Kamari Lands came sizzling out of the gate, hitting his first four shots in a row to help him net 12 of the Blue Raiders first 14 points to get Middle Tennessee to a 14-3 advantage just under five minutes into the game. Western Kentucky fought back, narrowing the gap to 17-11 by the midway point of the first half. Lands had a rebound and assist to go with his 12 points, and Torey Alston had three points, three rebounds and a blocked shot.
Western Kentucky went on a 17-4 run to close half and take a 30-23 lead by halftime. Middle Tennessee had just three players score in the first half, led by Lands 16 points and four rebounds. Chris Loofe also grabbed five rebounds and two points while Alston had five points and four rebounds. Defensively, the Blue Raiders did limit the Hilltoppers to 38 percentfrom the field and were outrebounding them 24-18.
In the second half, Middle Tennessee started to go down low, adding 12 points in the paint to claw into the Hilltopper lead and make it 46-44 with 10 minutes to play. Loofe and Alston were most active, with Loofe adding six points and four rebounds to his totals and Alston pulling down four more rebounds and scoring five more points.
Lands finished with a career-high 25 points and had five rebounds. Alston netted his second double-double in as many games with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The forward also had four assists and a blocked shot. Loofe finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
"We had a great start, but at the end of the day just stopped scoring even though we defended well," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Nick McDevitt. "It puts a lot of pressure on you when you score just 60 points to try and win a game. At the end of the day, you just have to score it. When you look at our defense, we're the best defensive team in the league, but we got to find a way to hit some more shots."
By the Numbers
- 25: Career high in points for Kamari Lands.
- 5: Double-doubles this year for Torey Alston, giving him a double-double in back-to-back games.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee will remain at home for a 6:30 p.m. tip with FIU on Wednesday. The game will be carried by both ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Network.
