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Head Coach Anthony Evans Post-Game Quotes

MIAMI (Jan. 25, 2014) - The FIU men's basketball team (11-9, 3-2 C-USA) clipped Conference USA rival Florida Atlantic (7-13, 2-3 C-USA) Saturday night, beating the Owls, 66-57, from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

Senior Tymell Murphy notched his eighth double-double of the season, leading the Panthers with 14 points and a team-high 14 boards. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native went 4-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the line. Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin also added 14 points off a 5-of-9 performance from the field. Sophomore Jerome Frink (13) and redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles (12) also scored in double-digits. Frink had a season-high four steals, while Murphy added three. Murphy and freshman Dominique Williams also added two blocks each.

The Panthers opened the game shooting 7-of-7 from the field, while going on a 12-3 run that was highlighted by back-to-back steals from Frink and Buckles. After the Owls cut the deficit to six points, Murphy finished with an up-and-under layup, making the score 23-15 with 5:45 to go in the half. Up by nine, Williams extended the Panthers' lead when he blocked a Florida Atlantic attempt and dished the ball across court to Buckles for an easy two points. FIU took a 10-point, 34-14, lead into the break.

Murphy led all players through 20 minutes with 10 points and six rebounds, going 3-of-4 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line. Buckles chipped in seven points. FIU held a 16-10 advantage on the boards and shot 64 percent (14-of-22) in the first, with an 80 percent showing in free-throws, all of which were taken by Murphy.

Buckles brought the crowd to its feet five minutes into the second half, dunking over the Owls' defender, which was part of a run that put the Panthers back up by 10 points. With a chance to tie the game at 49-all, Murphy came up with a highlight-reel block, preserving a 2-point Panther lead with just under nine minutes left in the game. FIU went on a 7-2 run, extending its lead to 56-49 with just under four minutes to play. Frink came up with a pivotal steal in the final minute of action, with Mavin finishing a 3-point play to secure an FIU victory on the other end.

In a game where FIU never trailed, the Panthers saw its largest lead come in the first half (12 points). The team went 25-of-52 from the field (48 percent), with 42 points coming from the paint, besting the Owls by 20 in that category. FIU shot 67 percent (14-21) from the charity stripe and topped FAU, 43-29, in rebounds.

The Panthers hit the road for a midweek game at Marshall on Thursday, January 30. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W.V.
 
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).
 
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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 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s 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. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/.