Box Score LAFAYETTE, La. (Jan. 24, 2013) – In a game which saw seven ties and seven lead changes, FIU used a solid performance at the free-throw line in the final two minutes of the game, making 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to give the Panthers (11-8, 6-4 SBC) an 80-75 win over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (7-15, 3-8 SBC) at the Cajundome on Thursday evening.
 
The win marked the first for FIU over Louisiana in Lafayette since the 2008-2009 season and capped off a season-series sweep of the Ragin' Cajuns for the first time since the 1998-1999 campaign.
 
Three Panthers scored in double-figures on the night, including freshman Jerome Frink, who posted a team-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line. Junior Tymell Murphy posted 16 points to go along with a game-high 16 rebounds. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native converted 8-of-11 from the floor for his 10th-straight double-digit performance. Redshirt sophomore Marco Porcher Jimenez netted a career-high 13 points, hitting a team-high three treys.
 
In all, eight Panthers scored in the contest as FIU shot 43.1 percent from the floor (28-of-65) and just 23.8 percent from the 3-point range (5-of-21). FIU also converted 19-of-24 from the free-throw line (79.2 percent).
 
With a 36-33 advantage coming out of halftime, FIU extended its lead to nine points at 42-33 following a pair of free throws by senior Tola Akomolafe with 18:41 left in the contest. The Ragin' Cajuns chipped away at the Panther lead, tying the game at 42-42 on a jump shot by Shawn Long with 16:38 to play. UL extended its lead to six points at the 12:25 mark in the second half, 54-48, on a layup by Elfrid Payton; its largest lead of the game.
 
The Panthers responded with an 11-4 run midway through the second half to take a 59-58 lead, capped off by a layup by Murphy with 7:13 on the clock. FIU maintained its lead over the next five minutes before a Payton 3-pointer for the Cajuns tied the game at 70-70 with 2:17 left in the game. Each team exchanged buckets before a layup by Frink gave FIU its final lead of the night, 74-72, with 1:43 on the clock. The Panthers used a 6-of-8 performance from the line to keep its lead and defeat Louisiana, 80-75.  
 
The Panthers forced 17 Louisiana turnovers, resulting in 16 points. FIU held a 38-22 edge in points in the paint as the Panthers' bench out-scored the Ragin' Cajuns', 23-3.
 
Louisiana shot 46.6 percent from the floor (27-of-58) and hit 12 3-pointers, shooting 37.5 percent from the beyond the arc (12-of-32).
 
The win extends FIU's current winning streak to three games and gives the Panthers their fifth road win of the season.
 
FIU will next travel to Mobile, Ala., to take on the South Alabama Jaguars on Sunday, Jan. 27. Game time is scheduled for 5:05 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).
 
 
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/.