LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Feb. 16, 2012) --- Three Panthers scored in double-figures in a losing effort as the FIU men's basketball team (7-18, 4-9 SBC) fell to the UALR Trojans (13-14, 10-3 SBC), 78-64, on Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Jack Stephens Center.

Sophomore Phil Taylor led all Panthers with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting (4-of-8 from beyond the arc). Senior DeJuan Wright poured in 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, while junior Cameron Bell posted 11 points and a team-high seven boards. Bell, who went 4-of-5 from the line versus the Trojans, set the school record for consecutive made free throws, after hitting the first of two from the line at the end of the first half. Bell proceeded to add to his total, making two more in the second half to bring his mark to 24-straight. The previous record was held by teammate Jeremy Allen, who drained 20-consecutive last season. Freshman Gilles Dierickx also grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds, while scoring six points and blocking two shots.

A 21-3 run by the Trojans midway through the second half pushed the game out of reach as FIU fell behind by as many as 18 points. Unable to chip away at the UALR lead, the Panthers suffered their third-straight loss.

FIU held a 32-31 lead at the end of the first half. The Panthers were a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes, while the Trojans struggled from the line, 4-of-11. Coming out of the break, the game was close through the first five minutes of the second half until UALR's run put the game out of reach.

FIU finished the night shooting 30.5 percent from the floor (18-of-59), while UALR shot a clip of 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the field. The Panthers were 20-of-24 from the free-throw line and shot 8-of-22 from 3-point range. The Trojans struggled from the charity strip, shooting 61.1 percent (22-of-36), but converted 37.5 percent from downtown (6-of-16).

FIU held a 36-34 advantage in rebounding. However, 17 Panther turnovers resulted in 22 points for UALR.

The loss drops FIU to 8-16 all-time versus UALR and 2-9 all-time in Little Rock.

FIU will next travel to Jonesboro, Ark., to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday, Feb. 18. Game time is slated for 8:05 p.m. ET.

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 in 17 sports. In 2010 the Panthers won their first bowl game. For more information about FIU, visit www.fiu.edu.