MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- JaCorey Williams had 19 points and 11 rebounds as Middle Tennessee pulled away late to beat Louisiana Tech 71-61 on Saturday for its ninth straight win to remain undefeated in Conference USA play.

Giddy Potts, who finished with 17 points, drove for a layup to give Middle Tennessee a 59-57 lead with 3:26 left. Williams swatted away a Jalen Harris jumper and followed with a 15-foot jump shot for a 61-57 advantage, and the Blue Raiders pulled away in the final minutes.

Reggie Upshaw added 14 points for Middle Tennessee (19-3, 9-0), which hit 49 percent from the floor while limiting the Bulldogs to 18-of-50 (36 percent) shooting.

Louisiana Tech (14-8, 6-3), which lost two straight for the first time this season, was without its second-leading scorer Jacobi Boykins who was suspended following the bench-clearing brawl against UAB on Thursday.

Erik McCree led the Bulldogs with 16 points.