Frink and Murphy score 20 each as Florida International beats Western Kentucky 87-82
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Jerome Frink and Tymell Murphy scored 20 points apiece to lead Florida International past Western Kentucky 87-82 Saturday night in Sun Belt Conference play.
Malik Smith went 3 of 4 from behind the arc and finished with 17 points for Florida international (14-12, 9-8).
On top 42-38 at halftime, Florida International started the second half on a 9-3 run, capped by Deric Hill's 3-pointer with 17:03 remaining to go ahead 51-41.
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Western Kentucky (13-14, 7-9) trailed by as many as 15 points after intermission.
T.J. Price's 3-pointer with 23 seconds left cut the Hilltoppers' deficit to four, 84-80, but the Panthers made 3 of 4 free throws to seal the victory.
Florida International shot 52.2 percent (12 of 23) in the second half while Western Kentucky shot 43.3 percent (13 of 30).
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Price led the Hilltoppers with game-highs of 22 points and six assists, but also had five turnovers.