MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball fought valiantly for 40 minutes again on Saturday, but came up short once again in Conference USA play, with late-game mistakes costing the team a chance at a home win in a 60-51 loss to Sam Houston in the Murphy Center.
The Blue Raiders (6-11, 0-2 CUSA) led 25-23 after a dramatic first half, where MTSU trailed by as many as 10 before strong defense allowed the Blue Raiders to gain the advantage at the break. The Bearkats (10-8, 3-0 CUSA) shot just 29 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, having separate scoring droughts of over seven minutes and four minutes, allowing MTSU to grab the lead despite dominating on the glass, outrebounding the Blue Raiders 28-16 in the first half.