Raymond Taylor scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half as Florida Atlantic defeated Middle Tennessee 71-61 on Thursday night.
It marks the first time the Owls (13-6) have started 5-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. Kore White added 11 points while Jordan McCoy and Greg Gantt each had 10 points. Florida Atlantic has not lost in the new year.
Jason Jones had 20 points and James Washington added 16 for the Blue Raiders (7-10, 2-2), whose two-game winning streak ended.
The Owls held Middle Tennessee to 19 first-half points and to 34 percent shooting for the game (17 of 50).
Florida Atlantic led by as many as 16 points, 63-47, when Taylor scored on a layup with 2:57 to play. Washington made a 3-pointer with 1:47 left, capping a quick 10-0 run and cutting the Owls' lead to 63-57. But that was as close as the Blue Raiders came.
