MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee couldn't find enough offensive consistency to spoil former head coach Kermit Davis' return to the Murphy Center Wednesday.
The Blue Raiders (2-4) fought hard, particularly on the backboards, but Ole Miss (4-0) was too much down low and wore MT down with tough defense. The Rebels left with a 70-51 victory.
"Congratulations to Coach Davis and his team," Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt said. "We were able to keep them off the glass, but the difference in points in the paint was just too much to overcome."
It was the first time since Davis left prior to the 2018-19 season that he has been back in the Murphy Center, where he won 178 times as the head coach of the Blue Raiders.
He left Middle Tennessee as the program's all-time leader in wins with a 332-188 record compiled over 16 seasons.
"I hated that it wasn't normal … but it was good to be back in the Murphy Center," Davis said. "We have some really good memories there."
The Blue Raiders got off to a slow start on the offensive end, only hitting two of their first 17 shots, and never really got a handle on scoring consistently against Ole Miss's tough defense.
Sophomore forward Tyler Millin came off the bench for MT and gave a spark in the first half to help keep the score close. He hit a 3-pointer and a layup as part of a run to cut the Rebel lead to 20-14 with just over five minutes left in the first half, but Ole Miss recovered and went into halftime up 32-22.
Millin went into the night scoring 1.8 points per game in seven minutes per contest. He finished the first half with seven points and six rebounds, both team-highs, in 14 minutes.
"I felt like my role was to step up and bring energy to the team … and rebound as well," he said. "My goal going into the game was just to stay ready."
After MT trailed by nine just over a minute into the second half, Ole Miss went on a 13-0 run to effectively put the game out of reach.
Millin finished with career highs in points (12) and rebounds (eight) in 27 minutes. He hit five of his nine shots, including two 3-pointers.
Junior Dontrell Shuler, playing against his older brother, Rebels guard Devontae Shuler, finished with a team-high 19 points, 17 coming in the second half. He hit seven of his 17 shots.
"It was a blessing to be able to be out there with my brother," Dontrell Shuler said. "There was a lot of emotion out there … and us finding that joy and piece that we've been seeking and taking care of the moment, it was fun."
The Blue Raiders will travel for their first true road game of the season Saturday. They'll play at Bellarmine in their first contest away from the Murphy Center since Nov. 27, five games ago.
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