Cancun, Mexico – A tremendous second-half effort helped Middle Tennessee (4-1) overcome a frigid first half Tuesday against Rider (2-4) in a 60-54 victory in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The win puts the Blue Raiders through to the championship game of the Mayan Division against the winner of Tuesday's game between Bucknell and Mercer.
"We didn't shoot it very well, but we didn't – particularly in the second half – let that affect our defensive effort," head coach Nick McDevitt said. "We kept getting stops and finding a way to score the ball even though we weren't shooting it well… I thought our effort was there.