Box Score MIAMI (Nov. 17, 2012) – Shooting 25.8 percent from the floor in the first half and 35.7 percent for the game, the FIU men's basketball team (0-2) fell to the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2-0), 69-60, on Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Century Bank Arena.

The Panthers, who trailed by as many as 22 points, out-scored the Lumberjacks, 36-29, in the second half but could not overcome a double-digit deficit at halftime, resulting in the nine-point loss.

A pair of free throws by sophomore Juan Ferrales pulled the Panthers within one at 17-16 with 10:22 left in the first half. However, a 14-0 run by Stephen F. Austin gave the Lumberjacks a lead they would not relinquish. 

FIU was led by juniors Tymell Murphy (17 points) and Malik Smith (16 points). Murphy shot 7-of-14 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds. Smith went 5-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-7 from 3-point range for his second-straight double-digit outing.

The Panthers improved their shooting in the second half, converting 48.0 percent (12-of-25) from the floor and making 71.4 percent (10-of-14) of their shots from the charity stripe.  

Ferrales led all Panthers with a career-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Deric Hill added eight points to go along with a career-best six steals. 

FIU converted 20-of-56 shots for the game and was 16-of-25 from the free-throw line (64.0 percent). The Lumberjacks out-rebounded the Panthers 34-29 and held a 42-26 edge in points in the paint. FIU forced 23 SFA turnovers, resulting in 21 points. For the Panthers, freshman Jerome Frink and Hill led the way with six steals apiece. SFA took advantage of FIU's mistakes, scoring 24 points off 16 Panther turnovers.

SFA was led by Antonio Bostic, who posted 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting. The Lumberjacks shot 59.6 percent from the floor (28-of-47), including a 15-of-24 first half (62.5 percent).

With the loss, FIU drops to 0-2 on the year, snapping a string of eight-straight, home-opening victories.  

The Panthers will travel to Conway, S.C., on Saturday, Nov. 24 to face the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET.

Fans are encouraged to follow @FIUMensBBall on Twitter, and "Like" FIU men's basketball on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIU-Mens-Basketball) for the latest Panther basketball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics). 

For FIU men's basketball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log on to www.FIUSports.com.

About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. 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 bachelors, masters 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 50,000 students in two campuses 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. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.