Photo by Sarah Grace Taylor | Sidelines Archive
Middle Tennessee (18-7, 10-3 C-USA) traveled to Hattiesburg, Mississippi and took down Southern Miss (7-16, 4-8 C-USA) with ease Saturday night 76-54.
The Blue Raiders struggled in the first half and went into the break facing a five-point deficit.After halftime, the Blue Raiders come out on fire and never looked back. In the second half, Middle Tennessee shot 64.3 percent from the field. For the overall game, MT shot a blazing 59 percent from behind the arc.
Mississippi native Edward Simpson led Middle Tennessee in scoring with a career-high 19 points. The sophomore guard was amazingly accurate from beyond the arc going 5-for-6 from three-point range. Sophomore Giddy Potts chipped in 18 points, including five three-pointers.
Junior forward Reggie Upshaw was very efficient from the floor. Upshaw scored 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting including 2-for-2 from three. Junior forward Xavier Habersham set a career high, dropping three three-pointers and scoring nine points.
A few bright spots for the Blue Raiders came from the defensive effort and the battle inside. Middle Tennessee held Southern Miss to 39 percent shooting and grabbed ten steals. Inside the Blue Raiders were dominant, outrebounding Southern Miss 37-23 while maintaining a plus-ten advantage in points in the paint.
Middle Tennessee gets a few days to rest before their next big conference test. The Blue Raiders host UAB (21-4, 11-1 C-USA) on Feb. 21 in what is easily their biggest contest of the year. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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To contact Sports Editor Connor Ulrey, email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
