Box Score JONESBORO, Ark. (Jan. 10, 2013) – Four Panthers scored in double-figures as the FIU men's basketball team (8-7, 3-3 SBC) won its fourth-straight game, defeating the Arkansas State Red Wolves (10-6, 4-3 SBC), 66-64, on Thursday evening at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro, Ark. The victory also completed the season-series sweep for the Panthers over the Red Wolves; the first time this has been accomplished since the 1999-2000 season.

Junior Tymell Murphy and freshman Jerome Frink each poured in 12 points to lead FIU. Murphy scored all 12 of his points in the second half, while Frink converted 3-of-5 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Sophomore Deric Hill notched a career-high 11 points while tallying six rebounds in his first start since Nov. 17 (versus Stephen F. Austin). The Miami, Fla., native hit some key free throws down the stretch, going 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Junior Malik Smith rounded out the double-digit scorers, contributing 10 points on the night. The Boston, Mass., native drained 3-of-6 shots from long distance to notch his 12th game of 10-or-more points.

ASU jumped out early on the Panthers, holding a lead through the first 11 minutes of the contest. FIU took its first lead of the game, following a trey by Frink with 8:53 left in the half, as the 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 21-20 lead. FIU would extend its lead by as many as eight points before the Red Wolves chipped away at the Panthers' advantage, cutting it to three following a 3-pointer by Trey Finn as time expired.

FIU entered halftime up 36-33, shooting 63.2 percent from the floor (12-of-19) and 75.0 percent from beyond the arc (6-of-8). Sophomore Juan Ferrales led all Panthers with eight points, shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and 2-of-2 from 3-point range for the opening stanza.

The second half began with FIU jumping out to a seven-point lead following jumper by senior Tola Akomolafe with 16:11 left in the game. However, the Panthers hit a cold spell, scoring just two points on a pair of free throws during an eight minute span, and the drought resulted in FIU trailing by four with 8:59 left in the contest. A 3-point bucket by Hill with 8:31 pulled FIU within one at 50-49, however, Arkansas State extended its lead to six points at 55-49 following a layup by Kelvin Downs with 5:39 left to play.

FIU went on a 12-0 run to regain the lead and go ahead by six at 61-55 with 2:24 left to play, as Murphy scored back-to-back buckets in 40 seconds. ASU cut FIU's lead to two points with 27 seconds left in the game and had a chance to tie the contest following a steal by Finn. However, Ferrales drew a pivotal charge, forcing the turnover as well as Finn's fifth and final foul. The Panthers would hold on for the team's first victory at the Convocation Center since Jan. 13, 2000.

FIU finished the contest shooting 51.2 percent (21-of-41) from the floor and 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from beyond the arc. ASU was held to 34.5 percent shooting from the floor (20-of-58) and 24.2 percent shooting from 3-point land (8-of-33). Both teams ended the contest converting 16-of-23 from the free-throw line, while the Red Wolves out-rebounded the Panthers, 39-27, and held a 25-16 edge in points off of turnovers.

The win gives FIU its first four-game winning streak since the 2000-2001 season. It also marked the eighth win of the year, equaling the team's total for victories from a season ago. The win snaps a nine-game losing skid for the Panthers versus ASU at the Convocation Center in the team's final visit to the home of the Red Wolves as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. 

FIU will next travel to Little Rock, Ark., to face the UALR Trojans on Saturday, Jan. 12. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the Sun Belt Network and ESPN3.com.

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).

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/