Final Stats (PDF) I Final Stats (HTML)

 

Head Coach Anthony Evans Post-Game Quotes (PDF)

 

MIAMI (Dec. 3, 2013) - Fourteen treys from the Nova Southeastern Sharks (2-5) resulted in the FIU men's basketball team (7-4) losing, 77-59, Tuesday night from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

 

Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles earned his fifth double-double of the season and eighth of his career, with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin also scored in double-figures, tallying 13 points on 4-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-8 from the line. Senior Tymell Murphy added nine points and junior Marco Porcher Jimenez contributed eight.

 

NSU started the game on a 6-1 run before a Buckles' layup chipped away at the Sharks five-point lead. Porcher Jimenez knocked down an early trey with 16:37 to go in the first, cutting the deficit to two points, 8-6. The basket extends FIU's streak to 156-straight games with a 3-point basket. The Panthers trailed by as much as 12 points in the first half before Mavin's coast-to-coast layup at the 9-minute mark ignited a 6-0 run for FIU. Sophomore Jerome Frink scored on FIU's next possession, which was assisted by Buckles. Following two Mavin free-throws, the team's deficit was cut to five points, 24-19, with just under seven minutes to play. Two free-throws from Buckles and one by Murphy in the final 1:15 sent FIU into the half trailing by nine, 36-27. It's only the second time through 10 games that the Panthers trailed after 20 minutes.

 

Buckles led all scorers in the first half with 12 points, going 3-of-6 from the floor and shooting 6-of-8 from the line and also led all players with six rebounds. Mavin went 3-of-5 from the charity stripe and added five points. The team shot 40 percent in the first, going 8-of-20 and hit 67 percent of its free-throws (10-of-15).

 

Murphy scored FIU's first four points in the second half, cutting the team's deficit to seven points, 38-31, by the 18 minute mark. An offensive rebound and layup from Frink brought FIU within six points, 39-33, with 16:56 to play. Mavin's coast-to-coast basket following a defensive rebound at 11:29 cut NSU's lead to 49-38. Porcher Jimenez followed on the ensuing possession by taking it to the basket. Freshman Dominique Williams knocked down both shots from the line and Buckles followed with an “and-one” on the next possession with 7:53 to play to cut the Panthers deficit to 60-50. Mavin saw his shot spin around the basket before falling through with just under four minutes, making the score 64-55. That would be the closest the Panthers would get as FIU suffered its first home loss since Feb. 7, 2012. 

 

FIU finished the night shooting just under 43 percent, hitting 20-of-47 from the floor, and just edging out the Sharks, who shot 40 percent from the floor.  The Panthers went 18-of-28 from the line, shooting 63 percent for the night. FIU's bench provided 12 points and the team out-rebounded NSU, 41-31, while also leading in blocks, 8-5.

 

The Panthers next play Florida Gulf Coast this Saturday, Dec. 7, from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and can be seen on Fox Sports 1 with Adam Alexander and Mike Gminski on the call.

 

Single game tickets can be purchased by calling the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME, or by logging onto www.FIUSports.com 

 

Fans are encouraged to follow @FIUMensBBall on Twitter, and “Like” FIU men's basketball on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUMensBBall) 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).