HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Middle Tennessee returned to the court Sunday for the first time since the stabbing death of teammate Tina Stewart, losing 77-62 to Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference tournament quarterfinals.
Memories of Stewart were all around before the game, including a moment of silence before tipoff.
The Blue Raiders took the court for warmups in black T-shirts with "20gether" on the front and "Stewart" on the back of each. They also each wore purple hair ribbons because that was Stewart's favorite color.
Stewart, 21, of Memphis, was stabbed to death Wednesday night and her 18-year-old roommate, Shanterrica Madden, has been charged with first-degree murder.
The top-seeded Blue Raiders agonized over whether to play in the conference tourney but finally decided Stewart would want them to compete.