Middle Tennessee 71, Fla. International 66

Kevin Kanaskie and Desmond Yates scored 23 points each to lead Middle Tennessee over Florida International 71-66 on Thursday. Kanaskie also tallied 13 rebounds for the Blue Raiders (17-12, 10-7 Sun Belt Conference), who outrebounded Florida International 36-31. The Golden Panthers (11-19, 6-11) missed their first 11 shots from the field, to trail 8-0 with 12:48 left to play in the first half and never recovered. Middle Tennessee shot 43.7 percent from 3-point range, with Kanaskie hitting 4 of 8. The Golden Panthers shot 36 percent from the field (26 of 61). Florida International was led by Josue Soto with 17 points. Freddy Asprilla and Tremayne Russell chipped in 12 points each for the Golden Panthers, and Alex Galindo added 10.