By GREG MENGELT
Jefferson, a former New Albany star, went 4 for 9 from the field and made three of his five 3-point attempts in the victory. The Middle Tennessee senior also had four assist, three rebounds and a steal.
The Raiders and Monarchs were tied at 30 at halftime, but Middle Tennessee didn’t allow the Monarchs to score for the first 7 minutes of the second half. That allowed the Blue Raiders to score 20 straight points and win for the seventh time in eight games.
Sophomore guard Eli Lawrence led Middle Tennessee (16-7, 7-3) with 18 points and seven boards. The Blue Raiders are now 11-0 at the Murphy Center.
Old Dominion (9-15, 4-7) was led by senior forward Austin Trice’s 18 points.
The Blue Raiders host Charlotte (13-10, 6-5) in another big Conference USA showdown Sunday at 3 p.m. That game can be seen on ESPN Plus.
