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Blue Raiders erase 16-point deficit, outlasted by WKU

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball trailed by 16 with 11:15 left to play Thursday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Blue Raiders fought back to take the lead with just over three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but Western Kentucky escaped with a 93-89 win.

MTSU (15-10, 8-6 Conference USA) scored 50 points in the second half, shooting .586 (17-for-29) from the floor and .667 (8-12) from 3-point range. That was not enough, however, to overcome a 27-for-29 (.931) performance from the free throw line by WKU (14-11, 6-8), including 16 of 18 after the intermission.

Eli Lawrence led his team with 21 points to tie his season high and bring his career total to 997.