Photo by Kaitlyn Hungerford
Following back-to-back blowout defeats in non-conference play, MTSU rested up and returned to the Murphy Center for a date with an on-form St. Bonaventure squad which had won six games in a row heading into the matchup.
And in a back-and-forth affair, the visiting Bonnies (8-4) had just enough to edge out a win on the road 66-65 over MTSU (4-8) as Dominick Welch’s mid-range jumper proved to be the deciding basket.
Senior guard Antonio Green had the final shot to win the game for the Blue Raiders at the buzzer, but couldn’t make his would-be winning three-point shot. The struggling sharpshooter finished the game 2-11 from the field with all of his attempts coming from three-point range.
C.J. Jones had another strong performance with 26 points and six makes from three-point range in 37 minutes of action. Jones has been the catalyst in keeping the offense going during Green’s recent slump.
No other Blue Raider registered double-digit points, while St. Bonaventure had five players with 10+ points.
Head coach Nick McDevitt will also be not pleased with his team’s 67 percent performance from the free throw line in a one-point loss. MTSU had 21 attempts from the charity stripe and the seven misses proved fatal in the final score.
Despite the loss, McDevitt and the team can take some positives in a close loss to a team expected to be one of the best in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season. Following two brutal and decisive losses, a nail-biter shows small, but noticeable progress for the team overall.
What’s Next:
The Blue Raiders will get a Christmas Break before returning to action on January 29th at home against Rhode Island in MTSU’s final non-conference game of the season and the final game of the decade for MT Basketball.
The Rams are 7-3 with an 86-82 overtime win over Western Kentucky in its last game. Rhode Island is 0-2 in its away games so far this season, albeit against West Virginia and nationally ranked Maryland.
To contact Sports Editor Nathan Vaughan, email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
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