KENNESAW, Ga. — Middle Tennessee used a big first half to hand the Kennesaw State Owls their second home loss of the year, 76-75, at the Kennesaw Convocation Center Saturday night.

Essam Mostafa hit the ground running, scoring the first six points on his first three shots of the game for the Blue Raiders. Torey Alston and Jestin Porter soon got in on the action, contributing a combined 11 points in the first three minutes. MTSU didn't let its defense slack off either, forcing two turnovers to hold the Owls to just four points in the opening minutes of Saturday's game.

After a 9-2 run from Kennesaw State, the Blue Raiders' lead dwindled to three with 11 minutes to go in the first half. MTSU picked the pace back up with help from five-straight points from Jlynn Counter, a putback jam by Chris Loofe, and two more long balls from Porter, pushing the lead back to eight with six minutes left.

After a timeout, the Blue Raiders went on a 16-7 run to end the half. Alston showed off his vertical with two alley-oop dunks and a monster block, all within a minute. Tre Green added five-consecutive points, and Porter hit a buzzer-beater three for his fourth of the day, sending the game into halftime with the Blue Raiders ahead, 49-34. The Houston native led the team with 14 points and Counter finished the first half with five points, six rebounds, and seven assists.

On the other end, MTSU's defense showed why it ranks near the top of Conference USA in defensive stats, forcing six turnovers and four blocks to hold the Owls to just 34 points — the largest halftime deficit the Owls have faced at home this season.

Coming out of the half, the Owls showed life, cutting MT's lead seven points. However, the Blue Raiders responded with a 7-0 run, including another Porter three and four points from Justin Bufford. The Owls went on another big run, bringing the game within three with six minutes left.

After nearly 30 minutes without scoring, Mostafa kicked it into gear, adding six points on three straight possessions. Bufford then hit a wide-open corner three to push the lead back to six with three minutes to go.

In the final minutes, Middle Tennessee controlled the defensive end, not allowing a field goal. Counter was sent to the line with 21 seconds left, where he made both free throws to give MTSU a two-possession lead. After a shooting foul on the other end, the Owls made both free throws to make it a three-point game.

A missed free throw by MTSU gave the Owls a chance to send the game to overtime with a three-pointer with just 10 seconds to play. A foul by Bufford sent Kennesaw State to the line for a one-and-one, where the shooter made both to cut it to one point with five seconds left, giving MTSU the ball. Weston passed it into Porter, who was immediately fouled, sending him to the line for another one-and-one. Porter missed the first free throw, giving Kennesaw State a chance, but the last-second heave was no good, and MTSU won, 76-75, handing the Owls just their second home loss of the season.

Porter led Blue Raider scoring with 22 points, followed by Mostafa with 17, and Bufford with 10. Counter nearly finished with a triple-double, recording seven points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.

By the Numbers:
11: Jlynn Counter set a career-high with 11 rebounds, also adding eight assists, his second most this season.
20: For the ninth time this season, Jestin Porter scored at least 20 points and extended his double-figure scoring streak to nine contests.
15: A 15-point deficit is the largest the Owls have had at home at halftime all season.
39:40: The Blue Raiders held a lead in the game for all but 20 seconds against Kennesaw State.

McDevitt's Mic:
"Winning on the road is really hard, especially with only one day to prepare, but I'm really proud of our guys. Every road game is different, but you have to find a way to win no matter what. Jestin Porter did a great job hitting his shots, and Justin Bufford hit a big three late in the game in front of our bench, which was probably the shot of the night for us."

Up Next:
Middle Tennessee will hit the road to play the finale in the 100 Miles of Hate series against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m.