Holt's 3-pointer gave the Gaels an 18-16 lead. Moments later, Levesque's three-point play gave Saint Mary's four-point lead.

A dunk by Brad Waldow off a lob from Dellavedova gave Saint Mary's a 26-20 lead.

Hunter scored eight first-half points to lead Middle Tennessee, which had just seven free-throw attempts. Saint Mary's, meanwhile, went 17 of 25 from the free-throw line.

"That was the difference," Davis said.

NOTES: Middle Tennessee owned the nation's second-best road record this season at 11-3. The Blue Raiders finished 1-3 at neutral sites and 16-0 at home. ... MTSU hadn't played in the NCAA Tournament since 1989, when it upset Florida State. ... Saint Mary's has reached the postseason seven times in the past nine seasons, including five appearances in the NCAA Tournament and two in the NIT. ... The Gaels are one of four programs to win at least 25 games each of the past six seasons, joining conference rival Gonzaga as well as Duke and Kansas. ... Three of the Gaels' six losses were to No. 1 seed Gonzaga.