GAME NOTES: A pair of teams shooting for their 10th win of the season collide at the Convocation Center tonight, as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders tussle with the Arkansas State Indians in a Sun Belt Conference affair. The Raiders come into the bout riding a two game win streak that includes a 57-51 triumph at UL-Lafayette on Thursday. With the victory, MTU improved itself to 9-11 overall and a much better 6-4 in conference play. Up next for the Raiders will be a bout with Arkansas-Little Rock on Thursday. As for ASU, it stepped out of league play on Wednesday, only to be defeated by Utah Valley State 72-57. It was the second straight loss by the Indians, who fell to 9-12 overall. The team now heads back into SBC play, where it has gone just 4-6 thus far. Tonight's contest marks the 21st all-time meeting between MTU and ASU, with the series being tied at 10-10 .

The Blue Raiders dominated the boards, 49-27, including a 21-8 advantage on the offensive glass, as they defeated UL-Lafayette on Thursday. The big time effort on the boards helped MT overcome 23 turnovers and sub par 37.5 percent shooting effort from the field. Desmond Yates led the charge with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Nigel Johnson had 16 points and eight boards. For the season, Yates leads the squad with 15.1 ppg and he is also grabbing 4.4 rpg. Demetrius Green adds 11.7 ppg and 4.9 rpg to the mix, while Kevin Kanaskie contributes 10.0 ppg and a team-high 3.5 apg. As a team, the Raiders are turning in 66.8 ppg on 44.1 percent shooting from the floor.

The Indians made just five three-pointers compared to nine by Utah Valley State and they were also outscored at the foul line, 15-8, in a 72-57 setback on Wednesday. ASU also committed 12 turnovers and that was twice as many as Utah Valley State. Yima Chia-Kur paced the team in defeat with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Shawn Morgan posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards. The team played the game without leading scorer Adrian Banks, who sat out with an ankle injury. Banks is averaging 18.3 ppg on the season, but is listed as questionable for tonight's bout. Ryan Wedel ranks second to Banks with 15.3 ppg and he is knocking down 41.4 percent of his attempts from long distance. Chia-Kur puts forth 10.8 ppg and 4.0 rpg for ASU, which is netting 70.9 ppg on the strength of 40.1 percent shooting from three-point range.

MTU has played well since the start of conference play and it should be able to continue its success against an ASU club that has struggled of late.