GREENVILLE, Miss. - Middle Tennessee went cold from the field during the final 10 minutes of the second half and Mississippi Valley State took advantage on its way to a 71-58 win in front of 2,134 at the Washington County Convention Center. The Blue Raiders (1-2) fought from behind and tied the game 35-35 at the intermission on a long 3-pointer from Marcus Morrison, and then they took the lead, 38-37 on Mike Dean's fourth 3-pointer of the game with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Middle Tennessee led 50-46 with 11:30 remaining and seemed to have things going their way but that's when the Blue Raiders went cold from the field and ended up having their worst shooting game on the early season.
While the Blue Raiders went cold, Mississippi Valley (1-2) took full control by outscoring Middle Tennessee 25-8 over the final 11:30 to secure the win. Middle Tennessee shot just 36 percent from the field (21-of-58) and 30 percent from beyond the 3-point line (6-of-20).
Middle Tennessee was led by Mike Dean's 21-point performance, while Michael Cuffee added 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Reserve sophomore forward Keith Christmas was a bright spot for the Blue Raiders as he had his finest showing of the early season with eight points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes of play.
The Blue Raiders return to action Monday when they play Belmont to start a four-game homestand at 7 p.m.
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