By GREG MENGELT

CANCUN, Mexico — Josh Jefferson scored a team-high 13 points and his Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders blew by Mercer, 82-58 Wednesday in the final round of the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

Middle Tennessee went 2-1 on its trip to Mexico.

Jefferson, a New Albany graduate, was one of three Blue Raiders who scored 13 points. Sophomore guard Eli Lawrence and senior guard Donovan Sims also shared in the game-high honors.

Jefferson, a senior, was 5 for 11 from the field and connected on 3 of his 6 3-point attempts. He also had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal as Middle Tennessee improved to 5-1 on the season.

Middle Tennessee led from start to finish Wednesday, jumping out to a 34-16 lead following 5 straight points from Jefferson. After leading 38-27 at the break, the Blue Raiders broke the game open with an early second-half spurt. Jefferson’s second 3 made it 47-31 with 17:16 remaining. His final 3-pointer produced the final points of the game with 48 seconds left.

The Blue Raiders shot 55.4 percent from the field (31 for 56) and made nine of their 23 3-point attempts (39.1 percent). The Bears shot just 31.5 percent from the floor (17 of 54) and made just 6 of their 26 3-pointers (23.1 percent).

Middle Tennessee returns stateside to host Bryan College (Tenn.) at 3 p.m. Saturday. That game can be seen at ConferenceUSA.com.

By GREG MENGELT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Grant Sherfield scored 31 points and Desmond Cambridge Jr. finished with 21 to lead Nevada past George Mason 88-69 in the second round of the Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, S.D. Tuesday evening.

Former Jeffersonville star Tre Coleman went scoreless in 23 minutes, but the Wolfpack outscored the Patriots 52-38 in the second half to end their 4-game losing streak. The Nevada sophomore had 2 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal in the win.

Sherfield, a junior guard, and Cambridge, a senior, combined to go 20 for 37 from the field. Sherfield also had 6 assists and 6 rebounds for Nevada, which assisted on 17 of its 30 baskets. Junior guard Kenan Blackshear scored 12 points off the Wolfpack bench.

George Mason (4-3), which started 4-0 before dropping its third straight Tuesday, was led by 17 points and 7 boards from junior Davonte Gaines.

Coleman and the Wolfpack complete their visit to Sioux Falls today when they face Washington at 4 p.m. That game can be seen on ESPN Plus.

By GREG MENGELT

NEW ALBANY — A late 13-4 run helped IU Southeast pull away for a tightly-contested 80-72 victory over Midway on Wednesdays the Activities Center.

The Grenadiers (2-7) trailed 61-56 at the halfway point of the second half, but sophomore guard Jathan Ritter’s 3-pointer started an 8-0 spurt. Junior guard Anthony Wales Jr.’s jumper capped it.

After the Eagles came back to tie the game at 65-apiece, a Jared Osborne layup gave IU Southeast a 72-65 advantage with 2:42 left. Free throws by Wales and Ritter sealed the win, snapping the Grenadiers’ 7-game losing streak.

Junior guard Glenn Hill Jr. had a big game for IU Southeast with 27 points and 14 rebounds. He was 9 of 11 from the floor and made three of his four 3-point attempts. He was also perfect in his 6 attempts at the foul line.

Osborne, a senior guard, had 20 points, while Wales and Ritter finished with 11 apiece. Osborne led IUS with 3 assists and with 2 blocked shots.

Raekwon Evans had a team-best 23 points for Midway (4-3). He also had 10 boards. He and Donnie Miller each played the full 40 minutes.

IU Southeast will try to start a winning streak when it goes to the Campbellsville (Ky.) Thanksgiving Classic. The Grenadiers open the tournament with Lindsey Wilson (5-3) at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Then they face the host Tigers at 4 p.m. Campbellsville (5-3) defeated the Grenadiers 94-86 on Nov. 12.

Both games can be seen at IUSathletics.com.

By GREG MENGELT

HANOVER — New Albany graduate Isaac Hibbard scored 19 points to lead Hanover to a 76-69 win over visiting Wittenburg and a 3-0 start to the 2021-22 season.

The Panther senior went 7 for 10 from the floor and 4 for 6 from the line in the win. He also led Hanover with 5 assists and pulled down 4 rebonds for the Panthers, who shot 50 percent as a team (28 for 56).

Sophomore forward Matt Munoz added 15 points, Sophomore guard Max Greenamoyer finished with 11 junior forward Ty Houston had 10 for Hanover, which made 15 of its 18 shots inside the arc Tuesday.

Former Christian Academy star Noah Willams — also a senior — scored 6 points on 3-of-4 shooting along with 2 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal.

Hanover scored the game’s the first 8 points. Munoz was responsible for the first 5 before Greenmoyer drilled a 3-pointer. Greenmoyer’s second 3 made it 15-6 with 12:58 to go in the first half. By the time the sophomore hit his third behind he 3-point line, the Panthers had a 35-17 lead. They held a 37-21 halftime edge.

The Tigers cut the deficit to 6 points early in the second half, but Hibbard’s layup expanded the Hanover lead back to 50-36 with 12:20 remaining. The Tigers responded again and narrow the gap to 72-69 with 1:03 remaining, but Hibbard put the game away with a jumper with 41 seconds left.

Hibbard and Houston knocked down late free throws to secure the victory.

Wittenburg (0-3) was led by Rashaad Ali-Shakir, who had 21 points and 5 rebounds before fouling out.

Hanover will try to make it four straight wins to start the season next Wednesday when they host Anderson at 7:30 p.m.

By GREG MENGELT

LAS VEGAS — Bellarmine won its first game of the season, 76-69 over Central Michigan on Tuesday in the Knights’ final game in Las Vegas.

The Knights jumped out to an 8-0 lead, then fell behind 19-13, then went on a 22-7 run and led 39-32 at the break. The Chippewas got within 3 points three times — the last coming when Central Michigan senior forward Harrison Henderson made a pair of free throws with 1:01 left.

Senior guards Dylan Penn and CJ Fleming, who combined for 43 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in the win, hit free throws to help Bellarmine hold on. Penn went 11 for 18 from the floor and scored 27, while Fleming knocked down 3 of 6 of his 3-point attempts for the Knights, who shot 50.9 percent from the floor.

Former Providence Pioneer Juston Betz went scoreless in the win, but he contributed 6 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal to the victory.

Betz and the Knights hosts Franklin on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Freedom Hall. It’s Veteran and Military Appreciation Night. The game can be seen on ESPN Plus.

Henderson led The Chippewas with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.

By GREG MENGELT

NASSAU, Bahamas — Freshman Kooper Jacobi didn’t score Tuesday, but his Toledo teammates didn’t need him to. The Rockets defeated Tulane 68-67 in the semifinal round of the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship at the Baha Mar Convention Center in the Bahamas.

After Tulane’s Jalen Cook’s layup cut Toledo’s lead to 68-67, the Green Wave had two chances to win it. Finally, Cook, who had a game-high 25 points, missed at the buzzer and Jacobi and the Rocket advanced to the tournament championship.

Toledo faces Coastal Carolina (2-1) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. for the in-season tournament championship. The game can be seen at flosports.com.

Jacobi, who helped lead Silver Creek to a pair of state championships, went 0 for 2 and had 2 rebounds in 12 minutes off the Rocket bench.

Toledo, which out-rebounded Tulane 53-33, was led by 19 points from junior forward JT Shumate and 18 from junior forward Setrick Milliner Jr. and 16 points from sophomore guard Ryan Rollins.

The Rockets led 42-32 at the half. The Wave got within a point a couple of times in the second half but never took the lead.

Toledo shot just 36.9 percent overall (24 of 65) and 22.2 percent from behind the 3-point line (4 for 18).

Tulane is 2-3 and faces Valparaiso on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.