NCAA Game Summary - Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic

Baton Raton, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Shawn Jones tallied 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders downed the Florida Atlantic Owls, 67-63, in a Conference USA matchup at FAU Arena.

Jones made 11-of-15 shots from the floor and also blocked two shots as Middle Tennessee (16-7, 6-2 C-USA) picked up its fourth win in a row. Neiko Hunter added 19 points while Kerry Hammonds finished with 11 points and five assists.

Marquan Botley led the Owls (8-15, 3-5) with 19 points and five assists. Pablo Betrone went 5-of-13 from the field en route to 17 points and Jackson Trapp netted 11 points. Justin Raffington pulled down a game-high 10 boards in the setback.

The Blue Raiders outscored FAU, 12-8, in the paint in the first half and took a 31-29 lead into the intermission. The Owls managed to hit on only 37.5 percent of their field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes of the contest.

FAU shot just 39.3 percent from the floor including a 6-of-14 clip from beyond the arc in the second stanza. Middle Tennessee converted 65.2 percent of its field goal tries after the break to keep the hosts at bay. The Blue Raiders led 60-51 with 2:34 left in regulation before the Owls rallied back to make it a one-point game with 11 seconds showing on the clock. Hunter made it a two- point contest with a make at the charity stripe and Betrone missed a layup on FAU's next possession. Hammonds then put the game out of reach with a pair of made free-throw attempts.

Middle Tennessee scored 38 points in the paint compared to only 14 by FAU. The Owls outscored the visitors, 30-9, from behind the 3-point line.