Giddy Potts paced the Blue Raiders with 16 points and seven rebounds as Middle Tennessee defeated the Chattanooga Mocs, 68-58, in non-conference action at the Murphy Center.
Reggie Upshaw contributed 11 points for Middle Tennessee (6-5), while Darnell Harris added 10 points.
The Mocs (6-6) were led by Greg Pryor, who netted 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Casey Jones chipped in 10 points for Chattanooga, which came into the Murphy Center on a three-game winning streak.
The Blue Raiders were trailing, 14-13, with 8:11 left in the first period, but took control with a 16-4 run. Middle Tennessee took a 29-20 lead into the intermission despite being outrebounded, 19-16, in the opening stanza. Chattanooga was limited to 30 percent efficiency from the floor before the break.
The Mocs heated up to sink 55.2 percent of their field goal tries in the second half. Middle Tennessee protected its lead by outscoring the visitors, 14-3, at the charity stripe over the final 20 minutes of the contest.
The Blue Raiders' reserves outscored Chattanooga's bench, 38-21. The Mocs still own a 30-27 all-time series lead versus Middle Tennessee.
[SportsNetwork.com]
