Photo Credit: Sam Lewis (pictured - redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles)

FIU Game Notes (PDF)

FIU (7-3) vs. Nova Southeastern (1-5)

Teams - FIU Panthers (7-3 overall, 4-0 home); Nova Southeastern Sharks (1-5 overall, 0-2 away)
Date - Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013
Location - Miami, Fla.
Arena - U.S. Century Bank Arena (5,000)
Tickets - 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263)
Television - N/A
Twitter - @FIUMensBBall
Facebook - FIUMensBBall
Live Video Streaming - PantherVision (www.FIUSports.com)
Live Stats - www.FIUSports.com
Records - FIU enters Tuesday's game with an overall record of 7-3 following a 61-60 win versus Georgia State on Saturday, Nov. 30. Nova Southeastern enters Tuesday's game with a 1-5 record following an 86-67 win versus Belmont Abbey on Friday, Nov. 29.
Rankings - FIU is not ranked in either poll.
FIU Head Coach Anthony Evans - Coach Evans (St. Thomas Aquinas '94) enters Tuesday's contest with a career record of 106-97 (.522 - seventh season overall) and 7-3 at FIU (.700 - first season).
NSU Head Coach Gary Tuell - Coach Tuell (Louisville '73) enters Tuesday's contest with a career record at Nova Southeastern of 125-131 (.488 - 10th season).
Series History - Tuesday's game between FIU and Nova Southeastern will mark the 11th meeting all-time between the two teams with the Panthers leading the series history, 9-1. The last meeting between the two squads resulted in a 79-69 overtime win for FIU on Dec. 15, 1992 in Miami, Fla.
Officials - Announced on game day

FIU Opens December with Nova Southeastern
The FIU men's basketball team (7-3) brings its eight-game home winning streak into Tuesday's contest with the Nova Southeastern Sharks (1-5) as the two teams square off for the first time in 21 years. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

The Panthers are coming off a 61-60 win over Georgia State on Saturday, Nov. 24. Senior Tymell Murphy scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting for his sixth double-double of the season and for the 14th time of his career. It's the 38th time the Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored double-digit points and is his third-straight, 20-point game. Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles had a career-night on the boards, finishing with 17 rebounds. Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin scored a season-high 14 points, going 5-of-16 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, and freshman Jason Boswell added an additional 11 points.

The win marked the eighth-straight at home for the Panthers, dating back to Feb. 7, 2012.

FIU comes into Tuesday's contest averaging 73.7 points-per-game, while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from 3-point range. The Panthers are converting 68.0 percent of its attempts from the free-throw line. Defensively, FIU is allowing 65.5 points-per-game (No. 3 in the conference) as the opposition is shooting 39.1 percent from the floor (No. 2 in the conference). The Panthers are out-rebounding their opponents 415-335, averaging 41.5 boards-per-contest. FIU's 415 total rebounds currently lead the nation.

Leading the Panthers offensively is Murphy, who comes into Saturday's game averaging 16.3 points-per-game (No. 9 in the conference) on 63.7 percent shooting from the floor (No. 3 in the conference). Buckles is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.6 points-per-game (No. 17 in the conference) and leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 10.1 boards-per-contest (No. 2 in the conference and No. 27 nationally). Murphy is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 8.9 rebounds-per-game.

FIU – Nova Southeastern Series History
Saturday's game between FIU and Nova Southeastern will mark the 11th meeting all-time between the two teams.

    - FIU leads the series history, 9-1.
    - The last meeting between FIU and Nova Southeastern resulted in a 79-69 overtime win for FIU on Dec. 15, 1992, in Miami, Fla.
    - FIU is 29-12 all-time versus teams from the Sunshine State Conference.
    - Tuesday's contest will mark the first meeting between the two schools in nearly 21 years.
    - FIU's first-ever victory at U.S. Century Bank Arena was a 75-60 win over NSU on Feb. 1, 1986.
    - FIU holds a 2-1 edge in the series history at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
    - FIU holds a 5-1 mark all-time versus the Sharks at home.
    - FIU's most-decisive victory in the series was a 91-53 win on Nov. 20, 1982.
    - Head Coach Anthony Evans has never faced the Panthers.

An FIU Victory Would....

    - Improve FIU's record to 8-3.
        - Improve FIU's non-conference record to 8-3.
    - Give FIU its ninth-straight home victory.
        - Improve FIU's record versus Nova Southeastern to 10-1.
         - Give FIU a 5-0 record in home games in '13-'14.
        - Give FIU a record of 1-0 in the month of December.
        - Improve Head Coach Anthony Evans' career record to 107-97.
        - Improve Coach Evans' record at FIU to 8-3.
    - Improve FIU to 30-12 all-time versus the Sunshine State Conference.
        - Give FIU its 384th win (actual on-court record).
        - Give FIU its 300th Division I win (actual on-court record).
    - Give FIU its 211th win all-time at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
    - Give FIU its 254th win at home all-time.
    - Improve FIU to 6-0 in games played in Florida this season.
    - Improve FIU to 2-0 in games played on Tuesdays this season.

20-20-20
Senior Tymell Murphy enters Tuesday's game with Nova Southeastern having scored 20-or-more points in three-straight games. During that three-game span, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored 69 points (23.0 ppg) on 23-of-34 shooting from the floor (67.6 percent) and 19-of-23 from the free-throw line (82.6 percent). On the year, Murphy has notched four 20-point games.  

Hot Start
Through 10 games, FIU is 7-3, having won seven of the team's last eight games. The seven wins also marks the best start for a first-year head coach at FIU as Anthony Evans has recorded a 7-3 mark to begin his Panther coaching career.

Buckles Taking Care of the Boards
Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles registered a career-high 17 rebounds versus Georgia State on Saturday, Nov. 30. The 17 boards increased the Miami native's season total for rebounds to 101, good for No. 1 in the conference and No. 2 in the nation.

Home Sweet Home
With the Panther's 61-60 win over Georgia State on Saturday, Nov. 30, FIU has won eight-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 four-straight 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.  

Lucky No. 13
Senior Tymell Murphy was nearly perfect from the line versus the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Thursday, Nov. 21, going 13-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native made the first 13 before missing his final attempt of the night. The 13-consecutive made free-throws tied the school record held by Patrick McDonald (vs. Arizona – Dec. 1, 1986).

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.

A Little Thievery
Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin enters Tuesday's game as the team's leader in steals with 16. Mavin is averaging 1.6 steals-per-game and has recorded a career-high four steals twice this season. His 16 steals are a career-best for steals in a single season.

Cleaning the Glass
Through 10 games this season, FIU has held a decisive advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the opposition, 415-335. Leading the way for FIU is redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles, who is averaging 10.1 rebounds-per-contest. Following Buckles is senior Tymell Murphy, who is grabbing 8.9 boards-per-game.

Raining Threes
Entering Tuesday's game versus Nova Southeastern, the FIU Panthers have converted at least one 3-point basket in 155-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 during the squad's 66-58 win at Kennesaw State. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native enters Tuesday's contest with 631-career points.