Box Score MOBILE, Ala. (Jan.19, 2012) --- Holding the Jaguars scoreless for the final minute of the contest, the FIU men's basketball team (5-13, 2-4 SBC) earned a 65-62 win over South Alabama (10-7, 2-4 SBC), on Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Mitchell Center. DeJuan Wright, who was making his first appearance in seven games, registered his third steal of the night as time expired, to seal FIU's second conference victory of the season.
Sophomore Phil Taylor drained two key free throws with 2.2 seconds left in the contest to give the Panthers a three-point lead. The Marietta, Ga., native scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Taylor was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Wright, posted 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, registered five boards and a team-high four assists.
Sophomore Dominique Ferguson notched 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals, while junior Brandon Moore recorded a game-high three blocked shots. Moore made a pivotal play late in the game, tipping a missed shot back to freshman Deric Hill with under five seconds in the game. The tip-back resulted in Taylor's trip to the line. Senior Jeremy Allen recorded two steals, six rebounds and five points in 16 minutes of action.
For the game, FIU shot 54.3 percent from the floor (25-of-46) and 63.6 percent from 3-point range (7-of-11). Both teams recorded 28 rebounds apiece, while FIU held the statistical advantage in steals (10-7), blocked shots (5-1) and assists (12-11).
South Alabama , which shot 46.3 percent from the floor (24-of-52) and 31.3 percent from 3-point land (5-of-16), was led by Mychal Ammons, who poured in 15 points. Augustine Rubit notched the game's only double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The game was tied heading into halftime, 32-32, as both squads shot 50.0 percent from the floor and from beyond the arc. The Panthers committed 12 turnovers, resulting in 10 points for the Jaguars. The FIU defense forced nine USA turnovers which led to six FIU points. Taylor led all Panthers with 10 points in the first stanza, while Ferguson grabbed a game-high six rebounds. USA's Ammons led all scorers with 12 points in the first half.
The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Panthers and a two-game losing streak to South Alabama.
FIU heads home to host in-state rival Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Jan. 21. Game time is 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Sun Belt Network (CSS – Comcast channel 63).
