By
Zach Ward
Raider
Shakedown Reporter
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- The Middle Tennessee State University
men’s basketball team dominated the rebound game Saturday night at the Murphy
Center, winning easily against Texas Southern University, 79-52.
MTSU continued its recent success of rebounding by
outrebounding TSU, 46-24. The Blue
Raiders piled up 18 offensive rebounds and turned that into 18 second-chance
points. MTSU also dominated
defensive rebounding by 10. MTSU junior
forward Shawn Jones led the way for the Blue Raiders with 12 rebounds.
“We out-rebounded them by 22,” said MTSU head coach Kermit
Davis. “It is just something that has been a point of emphasis in every
practice.”
Shawn Jones also led MTSU with 21 points, giving him his
second-straight double-double. Marcos Knight and Neiko Hunter chipped in with
double digit points too. Knight scored 14 points and recorded eight rebounds.
Hunter scored 13 points and brought down five rebounds.
The Blue Raiders shot a staggering 47.7 percent from the
field. They also shot 38.4 percent from the 3-point arc. MTSU held TSU to 39.6
percent shooting from the field and 26.1 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
MTSU gained the lead early on in Saturday night’s game. The
Blue Raiders took the lead with 18:16 left in the first half and never looked
back. They continued to expand the lead through the first half, ending it up
41-20. Both teams played more evenly in the second half, but MTSU won
comfortably.
MTSU won the turnover battle as well. The Blue Raiders
turned TSU over 14 times. They turned these 14 turnovers into 18 points. MTSU
only turned the ball over eight times, leading to only 3 points for TSU.
The Blue Raiders have now improved their record to 4-1. This
rivals their start last season of 5-1, which led to a 27-7 record and a regular
season Sun Belt Conference Championship.
“I think it’s carried over from last year,” said Davis. “We
have a number of good offensive players, and the scheme fits what they do.”
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