MURFREESBORO, Ten. –  The Wildcats continued their tough non-conference schedule Friday night with a loss at Middle Tennessee State, 71-51, in Murfreesboro, Ten.
 
Summary
 
The Wildcats (0-2, 0-0 SWAC) kept things close with a non-conference opponent for the second-straight contest.  The Wildcats led midway through the first half, 22-20, but a 15-1 run put Middle Tennessee State (2-0, 0-0 C-USA) ahead for good. The Wildcats mitigated the damage in the second half, pulling to as close as nine, but the Blue Raiders proved too much, taking down B-CU, 71-51.
 
"I thought we really struggled getting into our sets in the first half," head coach Reggie Theus said after the game. "Our effort in the second half was much better."
 
Joe French led all scorers with 18 for the Wildcats on 6-10 shooting and 2-5 from three-point range.
 
Damani McEntire finished with ten points, four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Dylan Robertson grabbed 7 boards and blocked a pair of shots. Mikey West came off the bench and added five assists.
 
The Wildcats showed more physicality in the loss, pulling even with MTSU in points in the paint with 28 for each team. After attempting only six free throws at USF, the Wildcats took 16 Friday night, though they only made ten. Twelve of those attempts came in the second half – a clear point of emphasis for Theus:
 
"(Free throws) was something we talked about at halftime," Theus said. "Our guys made that effort in the second half and it showed. Damani was big for us in that area. We also had a much better night rebounding the ball, our guys played much more physical basketball overall in the second half."
 
Game Notes

• Middle Tennessee capitalized on Wildcat mistakes, scoring 25 points off 20 Wildcat turnovers
• B-CU scored ten points on the fast break and limited the Blue Raiders to only eight.
• The Blue Raiders' bench outscored Wildcats reserves, 35-15.
• The Wildcats shot 46% on the night, but only attempted 41 shots in the loss

 
Up Next

The Wildcats travel to Salt Lake City Monday for the first contest of the 2021 Sunshine Slam. The tournament begins with a regional matchup at Utah, and will then return to Daytona Beach and the nearby Ocean Center. The Wildcats will first take on the Utes on Nov. 15 at 10 p.m. EST.