Middle Tennessee men’s basketball (6-4, 1-0 CUSA) picked up its first Conference USA win of the season, defeating the Kennesaw State Owls (8-3, 0-1 CUSA) 68-67 in a game that came down to the wire on the floor of the Murphy Center.
KSU went on an eight-to-two run late in the second half, bringing itself within two points with 2:13 to play. MTSU’s Chris Loofe knocked down a three from the left wing to push the lead to five, but then a three from CUSA’s leading scorer, Simeon Cottle and a free throw by Frankquon Sherman put the Owls within one.
MTSU had an opportunity on offense in the last 30 seconds, but two missed jumpers by Sean Smith gave the ball back to Kennesaw with six seconds to play. The Owls pushed the pace by bumping the ball up to the star guard Cottle, but Jahvin Carter was able to block the shot attempt and force an inbound with 0.8 seconds remaining. KSU was unable to a get a shot off in time, sealing MTSU’s first conference victory of the season.
“I didn’t want to foul him… he’s a good free throw shooter and we were up one,” Carter said about the play. “So I tried to make a physical play, put my hands up. I didn’t want to foul him or give him an easy layup.”
While Carter made the clutch play on the defensive end of the court for the Blue Raiders in the game’s final seconds, junior guard Kamari Lands was the shining star of the conference victory.
Lands had a career high in both points and rebounds for the Blue Raiders, scoring 24 and scooping up nine boards. The Indianapolis native shot 8-of-18 from the field, while going 2-of-7 from behind the arc.
“I think doing 24 and nine night in and night out is going to be a tall task,” head coach Nick McDevitt said. “He did things tonight that he’s capable of doing that allow for him to have a really good overall night.”
The Blue Raiders’ combo guard got to the free-throw line eight times, his second-highest total this season. Lands has been one of a few different MTSU players to step up and lead the team to victory, as the team has emphasized its versatility.
“Its not going to be [Lands’] night every night, and its not going to be [Carter’s] night every night the way our team is built,” McDevitt said. “… The great thing is our team is so unselfish. They love that.”
For Lands, the career performance comes after scoring only three points on 1-of-8 shooting in a 21-point loss to Belmont ten days ago. He was able to bounce back with the big performance due to the belief his coaches and teammates have in him, Lands said.
“They always have confidence in me, always pushing me, always telling me what I can be,” Lands said. “They always support me… It showed tonight. It’s more than what’s on the floor. Its talking, watching the film and learning from your mistakes.”
The Owls boasted the top offense in CUSA coming into the matchup, scoring 97.2 points per game. Cottle, the CUSA Preseason Player of the Year, had been the engine of KSU’s high scoring numbers as he entered the matchup averaging 20.0 points per game.
“He just does it in a bunch of different ways,” McDevitt said. “We talked to our team and it was up on the board before the game. He’s the head of the snake.”
MTSU placed an emphasis on guarding Cottle while attacking him defensively. The Owls’ guard picked up three fouls in the first half, leading to him sitting the final 9:44 before the break and scored only one point in the frame. He ended with 12 points, five of which came from the free throw line.
McDevitt’s defense utilized multiple different looks to neutralize Cottle, including playing man defense on him between guards Tre Green and Carter or dropping into a 2-3 zone.
“We switched it up quite a bit in the second half,” McDevitt said. “You just can’t let somebody like Simeon Cottle particularly get into a rhythm. When he sees the same thing over and over, a guy like that’s going to figure you out.”
With the win, the Blue Raiders are now 9-0 all-time against Kennesaw State. MTSU will take the Murphy Center floor for one final time in 2025 on Dec. 21, hosting NAIA opponent Cumberland University (8-4).
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