Louisiana
No. 7 seed Middle Tennessee ousts No. 2 seed Louisiana Tech in Conference USA quarterfinal
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Jestin Porter had 18 points, Jared Coleman-Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds and seventh-seeded Middle Tennessee came from behind to beat No. 2 seed Louisiana Tech 70-67 in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday night.
Porter also had four steals for the Blue Raiders (14-18), who advance to play the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Western Kentucky and sixth-seeded New Mexico State in Friday’s semifinals.
Daniel Batcho led the Bulldogs (22-10) with 24 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Tahlik Chavez scored 17 and Isaiah Crawford finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Chavez scored 10 in the first half to guide Louisiana Tech to a 32-27 lead at intermission. Coleman-Jones scored nine to keep Middle Tennessee within striking distance. Tre Green hit a 3-pointer to give Middle Tennessee a 46-43 lead with 13:37 left to play and the Blue Raiders led the rest of the way.
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