MTSU Men and Women Both Split Four Home Games in December

Jordan Davis. Photo by Stephanie Van Horn.

After starting its season at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida, the MTSU Blue Raiders hosted Murray State on Dec. 2 and turned in a great performance, winning 78–61.

“We put together a full 40 minutes on both sides of the ball,” head coach Nick McDevitt said.

MTSU found itself in a seven-point hole, but “we came together as a group and decided we were going to play hard on defense,” redshirt senior Jo’Vontae Millner-Criss said.

A steal by Jalen Jordan led to a layup on the other end of the floor for Dontrell Shuler, breaking a scoreless streak for the Blue Raiders. It was the spark MTSU needed, and the fire spread quickly, with the Raiders scoring 12 points in a row.

The team followed this game with a 70–80 loss against UT Chattanooga and then a 76–57 win against Covenant College, both in Murfreesboro as well, before welcoming longtime MTSU coach Kermit Davis back to the Murphy Center.

Davis brought his Ole Miss Rebels to Murfreesboro on Dec. 16 in his first return since he left in 2018. Davis won 178 times in the building as the head coach of the Blue Raiders and left MTSU as the program’s all-time leader in wins with a 332–188 record compiled over 16 seasons.

“It was good to be back in the Murphy Center,” Davis said. “We have some really good memories there.”

Ole Miss was too much for the Blue Raiders on that day and the Rebels left with a 70–51 victory.

*Dontrell Shuler. Photo by Stephanie Van Horn.*

The game was also a reunion between Dontrell Shuler of MTSU, who posted 19 points in the contest, and his brother, Devontae Shuler, a guard for Ole Miss.

MTSU enters January with a record of 2–4 as it opens Conference USA play.

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The Lady Raiders enter 2021 with a 2–3 record. The team also played four home games in December, splitting them, and it took to the road for a contest in Fort Worth against Texas Christian.

MTSU began the season 0–3 with close losses against tough opponents, falling to Belmont 64–70, Tulane 78–81 and TCU 77–83.

But the team rebounded big with a 26-point victory against Troy University and a 20-point win against Lipscomb.

MTSU has still never lost against in-state foe Lipscomb, bringing its record against the Bison to 13–0.

Anastasia Hayes had a huge game in that contest, scoring 35 points.

“I just let the game come to me,” Hayes said.

The junior Murfreesboro native remains one of the top scorers in the country.