LaRon Dendy and JT Sulton each posted a double-double for the Middle Tennessee men’s basketball team as the Blue Raiders crushed the Akron Zips, 77-53, on Sunday afternoon at Murphy Center.

Dendy netted a game-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Sulton scored 16 points and collected 11 boards as they each produced their second double-double of the season.

MT has won four in a row and is 8-1 on the season, marking the best start since the 1980-81 campaign when the Blue Raiders started 12-1.

In addition to Dendy and Sulton, junior guard Bruce Massey and sophomore forward Shawn Jones each scored double-figures. Massey added 13 points to go along with two steals and an assist, while Jones tallied 10 points.

The Blue Raiders shot better than 50 percent for the fourth-straight game, hitting 50.9 percent from the field, and held Akron to just 28.6 percent shooting, a season-low for MT opponents. MT also out-crashed the Zips on the boards, 41-34, and forced 13 turnovers compared to the Blue Raiders’ season-low eight turnovers.

For Akron (3-4), Alex Abreu led the way with 14 points and Quincy Diggs added 10, while Nikola Cvetinovic grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

Akron opened the game with a 5-0 run before Dendy netted four straight points for the Blue Raiders on a bucket and pair of free throws to cut the deficit to one. The five-point lead was the largest lead and only lead the Zips would have the rest of the game.

Dendy made it six points in a row with a fastbreak layup at the 15:18 mark, then MT took its first lead of the game when junior guard Jason Jones came up with a steal and threw ahead to Massey for the 10-9 lead. The 10-0 run continued with back-to-back baskets from J. Jones and Massey for the 14-9 advantage with 12:49 to play in the first half.

J. Jones knocked down a triple and Sulton completed a three-point play to stretch the lead to 11 at 22-11 with 10:45 remaining before the break. The Blue Raiders continued the defensive pressure as they heated up offensively, holding the Zips to one field goal during an 11:41 stretch as they went on a 26-6 run.

Dendy was fouled on a last-second shot heading into the break and made a pair of free throws to finish the half with 11 points and give MT a 37-24 halftime lead.

Diggs opened the second stanza with a 3-pointer then knocked down a free throw, and Abreu made it back-to-back triples to pull the Zips within six at the 18:18 mark.

The Blue Raiders sustained the Zips’ 9-2 run and responded with a 10-2 run of their own, sparked by Massey’s breakaway layup, to go up 47-33 with 13:22 to play.

MT took a 17-point lead after S. Jones threw down a reverse dunk and was fouled. Although Jones missed the free throw, Sulton grabbed the rebound and laid it back up for a 52-35 lead with 11:18 to go.

The Zips cut the deficit back to nine thanks in part to six consecutive free throws, but J. Jones knocked down a pair at the line to stretch the MT lead back to double-digits.

The Blue Raiders built the lead back up to 15 on back-to-back jumpers from Sulton and J. Jones, then Dendy’s free throw and jumpshot gave MT an 18-point advantage with 5:28 to go.

Sulton’s six straight points gave MT a 19-point lead with 3:41 remaining. Sulton knocked down four free throws and had a dunk during the stretch.

Torin Walker’s first bucket as a Blue Raider with 51 seconds remaining gave MT a 24-point lead, the largest of the game, and sealed the victory for MT.

The Blue Raiders hit the road again for a midweek contest, traveling to defending Conference USA champion UAB on Wednesday. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT in Birmingham, Ala.