Middle Tennessee beats Tennessee St. to even record at 7-7

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. _ Fats Cuyler had 16 points and five assists to lead to lead Middle Tennessee to a 67-57 win Saturday over Tennessee State.

The win evened the Blue Raiders record at 7-7 and dropped the Tigers to 2-6.

Middle Tennessee won the game with a strong first half, jumping out to a 32-16 lead. The lead changed hands three times early, before the Blue Raiders pulled away.

Tennessee State, led by Larry Turner with 13 points, outscored Middle Tennessee 41-35 in the second half, but were never able to close the gap against their longtime rivals.

Marcus Morrison scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds for Middle Tennessee. Kyle Young finished with 12 points for the Blue Raiders.

Clarence Matthews scored 12 points for Tennessee State, while Wayne Arnold finished with 11.