MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – It was all smiles for Middle Tennessee (21-10, 12-6 CUSA) and its fans in the final home basketball game of the season, as the Blue Raiders saved arguably their best performance of the year in conference play for last in a 78-56 win over the FIU Panthers (9-22, 3-15 CUSA).

Middle Tennessee wasted little time picking up where they left off against Liberty Thursday night on the offensive end of the floor, jumping out to a 22-11 lead midway through the first half on 9-of-12 shooting as a team including an impressive 4-of-6 from three-point range. Six different Blue Raiders etched their name in the scorebook, with Camryn Weston leading the charge at nine points on 3-of-3 from distance. Mostafa had four, Jestin Porter hit a three and Justin Bufford, Jacob Johnson, Jlynn Counter all had a basket to their credit. FIU's Ashton Williamson had five of the Panthers' 11 points to start the game.

By halftime, the Blue Raider lead had grown to 21 at 41-20. Kamari Lands, Torey Alston and Tre Green joined the aforementioned Middle Tennessee players on the scoresheet, and the Blue Raiders were led at the halfway mark by Weston and Mostafa, who both had four rebounds apiece and a combined 17 points, nine for Weston and eight for Mostafa. Lands hit a pair of threes to close out the half, one on an assist from Counter to beat the buzzer.

Middle Tennessee kept sharing the love in the second half, finishing the game with 19 total assists to FIU's eight. The willingness to pass the basketball led to an advantage in nearly every intangible statistic for the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee had 14 more rebounds, 17 more bench points, 10 more second chance points and six more points in the paint.

Defensively, Middle Tennessee held FIU to just 34% shooting as a team and allowed just four fastbreak points. The Blue Raiders blocked four shots and created 10 turnovers, including six steals.

Fans had a chance to catch one final glimpse of Justin Bufford, Jestin Porter Essam Mostafa, Jlynn Counter, Cam Weston, Jacob Johnson, Christian Fussell, Isiah Lightsy and Jack Jubenville in the Murphy Center. Each player saw action in the contest and the group was led by Weston, who had 15 points and five rebounds to go with a pair of assists. Mostafa finished with 10 points and eight boards and Porter had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The bench had a big day for Middle Tennessee. Outside of Weston's big performance, they were also led by Kamari Lands' 13 points and five rebounds including 3-of-4 from three. Tre Green had eight points and two rebounds and Chris Loofe had five points and eight rebounds.

By the Numbers
4: Different players in double figures in scoring for the Blue Raiders including Camryn Weston, Jestin Porter, Essam Mostafa and Kamari Lands.
6: Different players with at least one point, rebound and assist today for Middle Tennessee.
12: Wins in Conference USA this season marks the second-highest total for Head Coach Nick McDevitt in his career at Middle Tennessee.

McDevitt's Mic:

"This senior class was such a quality group and they are going to be so hard to replace," said Middle Tennessee Head Coach Nick McDevitt. "We played really well today and had power in this unit, which we saw today. We worried about a letdown after the other day. FIU is playing well down the stretch, here. We wanted to make sure we had a healthy respect for who was coming in here. We saw a focused group yesterday in practice and it transcended into today. We wanted to play well heading into next week. Our underclassmen wanted to make sure we kept up the high level of play so everyone could get into the game today and our seniors all had a chance. They all played for their brothers, today."

Player's Perspective: guards Isiah Lightsy and Jack Jubenville

"I think this entire experience has been so special," Lightsy said. "To play here in the city we grew up in and be around or families and be a part of such a special program has meant a lot. It was a quick turnaround from yesterday, so we wanted to be as intentional with our work as we could so we were ready to go today."

"Playing here has been awesome," Jubenville said. "I had a chance to play the game I love in the city I love close to the people I love. It's been cool because (Lightsy) and I had a chance to play together in high school. We have been roommates on the road and spent a lot of time together. We get up early every day to work out together, so it's just been a lot of fun."

Up Next

Middle Tennessee will await the end of Conference USA play today to determine who their opponent will be in the first round of the Conference tournament next week in Huntsville, Alabama, at the Von Braun Center. The Blue Raiders will be the third seed and play on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. Stay tuned to our social media channels for more information on an opponent.