Rutherford Times

After a back-and-forth first eight minutes Wednesday, Middle Tennessee pulled away from Murray State and never looked back in an 87-63 win at the Murphy Center. By the second media timeout of the night, the game had seen five lead changes and two ties, but the Blue Raiders (8-4) ended the game having led for 33 minutes and 53 seconds, as five players reached double figures in the scoring column. Camryn Weston and Elias King combined for 12 of Middle Tennessee's first 18 points, sparking a 9-2 run that put their team in front for good.

Using a diamond zone press, MTSU disrupted the Racers in the backcourt, forcing Murray State (7-5) into 19 turnovers, including three 10-second violations. The Blue Raiders finished the game with a 25-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

MSU showed signs of life with a 10-1 run to start the second half, cutting the home team's advantage to nine. But the Blue Raiders pulled away, shooting 56 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free throw line in the second half.

Weston and DeAndre Dishman led MTSU with 17 points apiece, followed by Eli Lawrence's 15. King added 14, and Justin Bufford chipped in with a season-high 10. Dishman's six rebounds and six assists were team highs.

 By the Numbers 7: The Blue Raiders snapped a seven-game losing streak in their final game before Christmas. 6: MTSU won the turnover battle for the sixth straight game. 17: Weston's 17 points were a season high. Blue Raider Notes 

• Wednesday's game was the third straight game MTSU had four or players score in double figures and the fifth in its last six games.
• The Blue Raiders' five turnovers were their fewest against a Division I opponent since February 10, 2018, against North Texas.
• Bufford tied a career high with two 3-pointers made.
• Elias King recorded the 10th double-digit scoring performance of his college career. Nine of those games have come in his last 15 appearances, dating back to the 2022 CBI.
• Dishman's six assists came one short of his career high of seven, which he set at Murray State on Dec. 4, 2021.

 Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt "I thought our team was ready to play early, but so was Murray, and that's really what you want to see from your team this time of year – that your guys haven't checked out for the Christmas break. And we weren't. They got a couple 'easies' to start the game, and we went to a diamond-and-one press, and I thought that was the difference in the game.

"They got some 'easies' to start the second half, and we wanted to make sure we weren't getting 3-point shooters loose early in the second half to where they could get nine points in three possessions… and they decided to do the opposite. They were cramming that thing inside quick and going on an 8-0 run in the first two minutes. We called time out and got back into our press, and I thought from there we kind of settled in." Up Next Middle Tennessee resumes Conference USA play after the Christmas break with a game at Charlotte on December 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.

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