MTSU 65, Southern Miss 63: Blue Raiders win first conference game in dramatic fashion

Watching as Southern Miss drained a 3-pointer to tie the score at 63 with 11 seconds left could have been a demoralizing moment for Middle Tennessee State.

Time and time again during its 11-game losing streak, MTSU had come close to ending the skid only to watch the moment slip away. That could have happened again Saturday, but junior guard Donovan Sims had other plans.

Thanks to an aggressive play, the Murfreesboro native got to the free-throw line with 1.5 seconds remaining to give the Blue Raiders a 65-63 victory over Southern Miss at Murphy Center.

"It felt really good to see them go in and give my team that little spark going into this next road trip," Sims said. "It wasn't as nerve-wracking as other times, but when I put the first one up, I knew it was going in. The second one felt good going up, too, and I just felt good getting the win for my team." 

Sims finished with 13 points and was 7-of-8 at the free-throw line, while C.J. Jones led the Blue Raiders (5-16, 1-7 Conference USA) with 17 points. 

Southern Miss (6-15, 2-6) finished the game hitting 42.6% of its shots but was just 2-of-10 from the 3-point line. 

MTSU also forced 15 turnovers, turning them into 19 points. 

"I'm proud of guys as that obviously wasn't an easy win," MTSU coach Nick McDevitt said. "You'd obviously like to win them going away, but that's just not how it is in league play. Being on the right side of the scoreboard, I liked the way we had to win." 

Free throws aplenty

In total, 42 fouls were called between the two teams.

Despite the fouls taking each team out of rhythm offensively for most of the game, both sides took advantage of their chances at the free-throw line. MTSU knocked down 22 of 28 at the line, while Southern Miss hit 15 of 18. 

Leading at the half for the first time in more than a month

Despite getting off to yet another slow start offensively, MTSU did something against Southern Miss that it had not done in nearly two months. In leading 26-25 at the half, the Blue Raiders held their first lead at the break since their win over Columbia International on Dec.3.

During its 11-game losing streak, MTSU trailed by an average of 14 points at the half.

While it was far from perfect – MTSU hit just 30.3% of its shots in the first half – the Blue Raiders were able to gain that lead thanks to rebounds and forced turnovers. MTSU held a 22-19 lead on the boards and 8-4 lead in turnovers at the break. 

Women's basketball: MTSU 77, Southern Miss 69

Withstanding a late offensive onslaught by Southern Miss, MTSU ended its road trip on the right foot. The Lady Raiders (13-7, 5-3 C-USA) held on late for a 77-69 win over Southern Miss (11-7, 3-4).

Leading 36-27 at the half, MTSU outscored Southern Miss 18-12 in the third quarter. That proved to be the difference as the Golden Eagles offense finally came to life in the fourth, scoring 30 in the period. 

Taylor Sutton led the Lady Raiders with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Charity Savage recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. 

Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com or 731-343-4923. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joe_spears7.

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