Photo Credit: Sam Lewis (pictured - Head Coach Anthony Evans)

FIU Game Notes (PDF)

FIU (5-2) vs Bethune-Cookman (2-2)

Teams - FIU Panthers (5-2 overall, 1-0 away); Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (2-2 overall, 2-0 home)
Date - Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013
Location - Daytona Beach, Fla.
Arena - Moore Gym (2,000)
Television - N/A
Twitter - @FIUMensBBall
Facebook - FIUMensBBall
Live Audio Streaming - www.goliathradio.com (Bethune-Cookman)
Live Stats - www.bcuathletics.com
Records - FIU enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 5-2 following a 75-66 win over Stetson on Monday, Nov. 18. Bethune-Cookman enters Thursday's game with a 2-2 record following a 98-55 win over Trinity on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Rankings - FIU is not ranked in either poll. B-CU is not ranked in either poll.
FIU Head Coach Anthony Evans - Coach Evans (St. Thomas Aquinas '94) enters Thursday's contest with a career record of 104-96 (.520 - seventh season overall) and 5-2 at FIU (.714 - first season).
B-CU Head Coach Gravelle Craig - Coach Craig (Cleveland State '99) enters Thursday's contest with a career record at Bethune-Cookman of 34-39 (.466 - third season). Craig is 0-1 all-time versus the Panthers.
Series History - Thursday's game between the Panthers and Wildcats will mark the second meeting all-time between the two teams with FIU holding a 1-0 edge in the series history. The last meeting between the two squads resulted in a 74-72 win for the Panthers on Jan. 7, 2013 in Miami, Fla.
Officials - Announced on game day

Panthers Tip Off Two-Game Road Swing at Bethune-Cookman
The FIU men's basketball team (5-2) hits the road for two-straight, beginning with a Thursday night contest at Bethune-Cookman. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

The Panthers come into Thursday's contest having won five-straight, following a 75-66 win over Stetson on Monday, Nov. 18.  Redshirt senior Raymond Taylor posted a season-high, 18 points, going 6-of-11 from the floor. Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin had a career-high three steals in the first half and finished the game with four, which tied his career-best. Senior Tymell Murphy recorded his 35th-career double-figure scoring performance, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles finished with a career-high eight blocks. The feat also tied the school record in blocks in a game, dating back to 1989 (David Gregg at UMES – January, 3, 1989). Sophomore Jerome Frink posted a season-high 17 points, marking the fifth-consecutive double-figure scoring game for the Jersey City, N.J., native.

FIU comes into Thursday's contest averaging 74.6 points-per-game, while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from 3-point range. The Panthers are converting 63.3 percent of its attempts from the free-throw line. Defensively, FIU is allowing 63.4 points-per-game as the opposition is shooting 37.8 percent from the floor. The Panthers are out-rebounding their opponents 290-247, averaging 41.4 boards-per-contest. FIU also comes into Thursday's game averaging 4.9 blocks-per-game following a school-record-tying performance by the Panthers that registered 10 blocks versus the Hatters.

Leading FIU offensively is Buckles, who comes into this week's game averaging 15.6 points-per-game on 53.5 percent shooting from the floor. The Miami native is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 8.7 rebounds-per-game and leads the team in total blocks (13). Murphy, who leads the team in rebounding (8.9 rpg) is second in the squad in points-per-game (13.4). Taylor, who is coming off a season-high performance versus the Hatters, is averaging 12.2 points-per-game and leads the team averaging 6.2 assists-per-game. Rounding out the team's top scorers is Frink, who is averaging 12.1 points-per-game.

Thursday will mark the 10th meeting all-time between Head Coach Anthony Evans and the Wildcats. Evans holds a 5-4 record versus Bethune-Cookman all-time.
 
FIU – Bethune-Cookman Series History
Thursday's game between FIU and Bethune-Cookman will mark the second meeting all-time between the two teams.

    - FIU holds a 1-0 edge in the series history.
    - The last meeting between FIU and Bethune-Cookman resulted in a 74-72 win for the Panthers on Jan. 7, 2013, in Miami, Fla.
    - FIU is 11-9 all-time versus teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
    - Thursday will mark FIU's first-ever visit to Moore Gym.
    - Head Coach Anthony Evans is 5-4 all-time versus the Wildcats

.   
An FIU Victory Would....

    - Improve FIU's record to 6-2.
        - Improve FIU's non-conference record to 6-2.
    - Give FIU its sixth-straight victory.
    - Give FIU its second-straight road victory.
        - Improve FIU's record versus Bethune-Cookman to 2-0.
         - Give FIU a 2-0 record in road games in '13-'14.
        - Give FIU a record of 6-2 in the month of November.
        - Improve Head Coach Anthony Evans' career record to 105-96.
        - Improve Coach Evans' record at FIU to 6-2.
    - Improve Coach Evans' record versus the Wildcats to 6-4.
        - Give FIU its 382nd win (actual on-court record).
        - Give FIU its 298th Division I win (actual on-court record).

Block Party
On Monday, Nov. 18, versus the Stetson Hatters, the FIU Panthers tied the school record for blocks in a game, recording 10 in the 75-66 win. The blocks total tied a mark set by FIU on two other occasions – Dec. 28, 2004 versus Ohio University and on Jan. 3, 1989 at UMES.

Speaking of Blocks
Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles was a big part of the team's record-tying performance, recording a career-high eight blocks. The feat tied the school record for blocks in a game set by David Gregg on Jan. 3, 1989 at UMES.

No Sophomore Slump Here
Sophomore Jerome Frink enters Thursday's game at Bethune-Cookman averaging 12.1 points-per-game on 55.0 percent shooting from the floor. The native of Jersey City, N.J., has recorded double-figures in scoring in five-straight games.

A Little Thievery
Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin enters Thursday's game as the team's leader in steals with 13. Mavin is averaging 1.9 steals-per-game and has recorded a career-high four steals twice this season. His 13 steals are two shy of tying his career-best for steals in a single season (15 in 2010-2011).

Cleaning the Glass
Through the first seven games this season, FIU has held a decisive advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the opposition, 290-247. Leading the way for FIU is senior Tymell Murphy, who is averaging 8.9 rebounds-per-contest. Following Murphy is redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles, who is grabbing 8.7 boards-per-game.

No. 200
On Monday, Nov. 18, FIU defeated the Stetson Hatters, 75-66. It also marked the 200th-career game for Head Coach Anthony Evans, who improved his record to 104-96 in seven seasons as a head coach.

Going for Six-Straight
With the Panther's 75-66 win over the Stetson Hatters on Monday, FIU has now won five-straight contests. This is the longest winning streak for the Panthers since FIU won six-straight games during the 1999-2000 season (1/8/00 - 1/24/00).

Home Sweet Home
With the Panthers' 75-66 win over Stetson on Monday, Nov. 18, FIU has won seven-straight home games, dating back to Feb. 7, 2012. The Panthers won their final four home games to close out the 2012-13 season and have opened the 2013-2014 with back-to-back home wins. This is the longest home-winning streak since FIU collected a school-record 18-straight from Feb. 15, 1997 to Nov. 29, 1998.

Versus the MEAC
The Panthers game versus Wildcats will mark the team's 21st game against a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). FIU is 11-9 all-time versus members of the MEAC and holds a 1-0 mark all-time versus the Wildcats.

Raining Threes
Entering Thursday's game versus Bethune-Cookman, the FIU Panthers have converted at least one 3-point basket in 152-straight games, dating back to Dec. 20, 2008.

500 and counting
On Sunday, Nov. 10, senior Tymell Murphy scored his 500th point as a member of the FIU men's basketball team. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native enters Saturday's contest with 572-career points.