Middle Tennessee defeats Marshall in C-USA final

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Giddy Potts matched his season high with 30 points to lead Middle Tennessee to its second straight Conference USA Tournament championship with an 83-72 victory over Marshall on Saturday night.

Potts scored seven straight points to help the Blue Raiders (30-4) pull away with a late 15-5 run.

The Thundering Herd (20-15) pulled within two points at 53-51 with 12:51 left before Potts and Middle Tennessee answered with what proved the decisive run.

Potts, the tournament MVP, made three 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds for Middle Tennessee while making seven of eight free throws. League player of the year Jacorey Williams, an Arkansas transfer, added 17 points and Reggie Upshaw scored 15 and had eight boards.

CJ Burks led Marshall with 16 points. Stevie Browning finished a strong tournament with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He had 78 points in four games.

Austin Loop got all 12 of his points on four 3-pointers. Jon Elmore, the league’s leading scorer, had 12 points despite 2-of-9 3-point shooting. Adjin Penava had 10 points.

The Blue Raiders had a 13-point lead cut to 40-32 by halftime. Browning punctuated the half with a contested 3-pointer with 5 seconds left for Marshall and added another in the final second.