MIAMI -- Donte McGill scored 16 points as Florida International dominated the first half and finished with 24 as the Panthers held on to beat LIU Brooklyn 80-72 Wednesday night.

FIU (4-2) shot 53 percent in the first half and held the Blackbirds to 29 percent, racing to a 46-22 lead at the break.

Brooklyn (3-1), which missed its first 13 3-pointers, battled back and three times got within five with less than seven minutes to play. The Blackbirds cut it to three on Jerome Frink's 3-point with 3:02 to play. But the Panthers, who made 21 of 28 from the line in the second half, made 7 of 8 in the final 37 seconds to hold on.

Daviyon Draper finished with 16 points and Eric Nottage 15 for FIU.

Frink, who played his first two seasons at FIU, finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds and Martin Hermannsson had 17 points.