MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee cruised to a 96-51 victory over Oglethorpe in the season opener Monday morning at the Murphy Center. 

In a packed-out arena, the Blue Raiders dominated from the start, going on a quick 8-0 run thanks to two threes by Jestin Porter and Justin Bufford and two second chance points from Essam Mostafa. 

The blistering noise by the Rutherford County School District and the hounding Blue Raider defense took the Stormy Petrels by storm, giving up just 22 points in the first half on 21.4 percent field goal shooting and 10 percent from the arc. In the first half, MTSU forced seven turnovers and blocked five shots at the rim, including a volleyball spike by Bufford. 

The Blue Raiders were handling business on both ends of the floor, shooting 38 percent from three and 53 percent from the floor. They took a huge advantage from points on fast breaks, putting up 24. 

Essam Mostafa and Torey Alston combined for 23 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Each of them tallied a double-double, with Mostafa putting up 14 points and 10 rebounds for his 40th time in his career, and Alston scoring 11 and hauling in 13 boards in his first collegiate game. 

Porter was the star of the show on offense, scoring 20 points in 27 minutes with five threes. He shot a resounding 67 percent from the floor, including 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. 

After a season-ending injury early into last season, Camryn Weston took the floor in the starting five and did not need long to get into his groove. He shot 100 percent from the field with two threes and was the team's third-leading scorer with 12 and dished out seven assists to go along with it. 

By the Numbers 

14: Blue Raiders checked in the game, with 11 different players scoring. 

50: Rebounds MT grabbed, including 14 offensive for second chance opportunities. 

2: Blue Raiders tallied a double-double with Essam Mostafa and Torey Alston

15: Turnovers that the Blue Raiders forced throughout the game. 

234: Days since Blue Raider Basketball has hit the floor.