Middle Tennessee men’s basketball (12-14, 6-9 CUSA) dropped another hard-fought game against the Sam Houston Bearkats (18-8, 10-5 CUSA) in Huntsville, Texas, with a final score of 78-70.
The Blue Raiders with 7:50 remaining in the game got within a point, 58-57, but the Bearkats responded with a 6-0 run. The field goal percentage was the same with around 43% in the whole game, but the Bearkats shot better from three and dominated the free throw line in the second half.
“There were times we execute well get the look we want and get a free-throw, and we just didn’t make them along with some timely shots that didn’t go down,” MTSU head coach Nick McDevitt said on WGNS Radio postgame.
Sam Houston built an early advantage going into halftime, leading 44-32, with a good shooting percentage and strong rebounding. During the first half, Sam Houston started off on an 8-0 run.
MTSU forward Torey Alston helped keep the offense going in the first half, giving needed scoring as MTSU tried to keep pace with Sam Houston.
The Bearkats finished with 45 rebounds while Middle Tennessee had 31. With Sam Houston’s advantage in rebounding, the Blue Raiders struggled to generate second-chance opportunities.
Bearkats leading scorer Jacob Walker put 20 points on the board while forward Veljko Ilic added 15 points and nine rebounds. For MTSU Torey Alston led the team with 16 points along with Chris Loofe scored 15 points and seven rebounds. The Blue Raiders missed free throws, and the second half runs were the major difference.
“They put a tone of pressure on you with their first shot offense because they have quick back court guys that put a lot of pressuring with a low block center so you have to get that first shot stop meaning don’t give them second chances and we gave up 15 on boards,” McDevitt said.
The Blue Raiders are now heading into a three-game homestand in Conference USA play starting off hosting against the Delaware Blue Hens (9-17,5-10 CUSA) on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. CDT.
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