MIAMI (Jan. 21, 2012) -- With the game tied at 64-all, FIU's DeJuan Wright was called for a foul on Florida Atlantic's Greg Gantt with 0.6 second left in the game. Gantt, who was attempting a 3-pointer when the foul was called, hit 2-of-3 shots from the free-throw line to hand the Panthers a 66-64 loss on Saturday, Jan. 21, at U.S. Century Bank Arena. 

Trailing by five points with under a minute to play, FIU (5-14, 2-5 SBC) battled back to tie the game following a pair of made free throws by sophomore Phil Taylor with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. However, Gantt's trip to the line gave FAU (8-12, 4-3 SBC) a lead it would not relinquish.

The Panthers were led by senior Jeremy Allen, who posted 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, while draining four treys. The Detroit, Mich., native also notched two steals and two assists.

Wright and Sophomore Dominique Ferguson each poured in 14 points versus the Owls. Wright shot 4-of-8 from the floor and was 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. For Ferguson, it marked his seventh-straight, double-digit scoring performance. The Indianapolis, Ind. , native also registered three blocks, giving him 23 for the season and 53 for his career (No. 9 all-time at FIU for career blocked shots). 

Rounding out the Panthers in double-figures was Taylor, who recorded 11 points, three assists and two steals. Junior Brandon Moore led FIU with six rebounds. The 6-foot-10 center also registered three blocks.

FIU shot 47.7 percent from the floor (21-of-44) and converted 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from beyond the arc and 17-of-22 (77.3 percent) from the free-throw line.  

A key factor in the game was in the rebounding category. The Owls held a 33-21 advantage on the boards and scored 16 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.

FAU, which shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field and 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from 3-point range, was led by Gantt, who tallied 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting (5-of-7 from the line). Jordan McCoy notched 18 points, while Raymond Taylor scored 14.  McCoy led all players with 11 rebounds to notch the game's only double-double.

The loss marked FIU's fifth-straight loss to Florida Atlantic and the setback marks the Panthers' fifth-straight defeat at home this season.

The Panthers will host the WKU Hilltoppers on Saturday, Jan. 28. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Prior to the men's tip, the FIU women's team will take on the Lady Hilltoppers at 5:30 p.m.

For FIU men's and women's basketball ticket information, contact the FIU ticket office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.

Game Notes

-The last four games between FIU and FAU have been decided by three points or less.

-Sophomore Dominique Ferguson is now ninth on the FIU all-time blocked shots list with 53, adding three against FAU. He surpasses Corey Walker (1989-90) with 52.

-Senior Jeremy Allen and sophomore Dominique Ferguson have now each started 39-consecutive games for the Panthers.

-Senior Jeremy Allen recorded two steals, making it 25-consecutive games with at least one swipe for Allen. He now has 51 on the season, ranking ninth on the FIU all-time single-season list.

-The Panthers have now scored at least one three-point basket in 103-consecutive games.

-Senior Jeremy Allen finished two points shy of his career-high with 20 on the night, his fifth 20-point outing of the season.

-Sophomore Dominique Ferguson's 14 points marks his seventh-straight double-digit performance of the campaign.

About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 17 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls 46,000 students in two campus and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in17 sports. In 2010 the Panthers won their first bowl game. For more information about FIU, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/.

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