ESPN Men's Basketball

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- James Washington scored 20 points and Middle Tennessee held off Troy 63-51 on Thursday night.

The Blue Raiders led 40-22 at halftime but the Trojans opened the second half with a 19-6 run to cut the lead to 46-41 after Travis Lee's 3-pointer with 8:24 to play.

Middle Tennessee responded with a 12-5 run of their own to push the lead back into double digits for good at 58-46 with 3:10 remaining. Washington's 3-pointer capped the rally.

Jason Jones added 11 points for the Blue Raiders (8-11, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference), who ended a two-game losing streak.

Middle Tennessee held a 39-33 advantage in rebounding and outscored Troy in the paint 24-12.

No Troy player reached double figures but Levan Patsatsia led the way with nine points and Bernard Toombs had 10 rebounds. The loss put an end to a two-game winning streak for the Trojans (4-14, 2-4).