MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball showed grit on Thursday night in the Murphy Center but could not pull things out to start Conference USA play, falling to Louisiana Tech 60-52.
MTSU (6-10, 0-1) trailed by just one point, 25-24, at halftime thanks to a strong defensive performance in the game's first 20 minutes, holding LA Tech (11-6, 1-1 CUSA) to just 9-for-25 (36 percent) from the field in the first half. A 2-for-11 half from beyond the arc for the Blue Raiders, however, slowed the momentum gained on defensive end.
The strong defense continued through the final 20 minutes, with MTSU once again holding LA Tech under 40 percent from the field in the second half.