Miami, FL (Sports Network) - A jumper by Shawn Jones in the waning moments
broke a 64-64 tie and gave the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders the two-point win
over the FIU Panthers in Sun Belt Conference action at U.S. Century Bank
Arena.
Jones finished with six points and six rebounds off the bench for the Blue
Raiders (19-4, 11-1 Sun Belt) as they won their eighth game in a row and
remained in control of the East Division standings. Raymond Cintron tallied 14
points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range for Middle Tennessee, followed by
Marcos Knight with 10 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
The Panthers (11-10, 6-6) were paced by Tymell Murphy who registered a double-
double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Marco Porcher Jimenez and
Malik Smith with 15 and 11 points, respectively, as they lost for the second
time in as many games.
Middle Tennessee led by as many as four points in the first half, but the
Panthers then held the visitors to a mere 26.9 percent shooting from the floor
over the first 20 minutes of action. Thanks to a 6-of-10 shooting performance
behind the 3-point line in the period, FIU was able to take a 36-19 lead into
the break.
In the second half the Blue Raiders erupted for an impressive 63.0 percent
from the field, including a perfect 5-of-5 beyond the arc, clawing their way
back and setting Jones up for the game-winner.
Middle Tennessee landed in the win column despite turning the ball over 19
times on the night.
GAME NOTES:
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