MIAMI (Dec. 12, 2014) – The FIU men's basketball team (5-4) is back in action this Sunday after a nine-day break to take on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. Tip time from Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. is slated for 2 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN3.

THE GAME: FIU continues its eight-game road slate with a trip across the state of Florida to Fort Myers to take on Florida Gulf Coast. This will mark the seventh time these two schools have faced off, as the series is split dead even at three games apiece. Last season, FIU earned a 72-61 victory over the Eagles on Lime Court at FIU Arena. Senior Dennis Mavin was one of three players who scored in double figures in that game, scoring 19 points to go along with four rebounds. 

LAST TIME OUT: FIU fell to the No. 5/5 Louisville Cardinals, 82-57, at the KFC YUM! Center. The Cardinals shot a season-high 57.1 percent from the field to help secure the victory and improve to 7-0 on the season. Leading the way for FIU was senior Dennis Mavin, who connected on seven field goals to score 15 points while grabbing three rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Senior Marco Porcher Jimenez scored 13 points off the bench and made his first four three-point attempts. Porcher-Jimenez also connected on a four-point play late in the game. Junior Tashawn Desir matched his career-high in assists with seven, while tallying seven points and grabbing two steals. FIU jumped out to a good start and had a lead for the 8:15 of the game. The Panthers shot 37 percent from the field while turning the ball over 25 times.

vs. THE A-SUN: FIU has had plenty of success vs. Atlantic Sun teams, hoisting a 24-10 record against those opponents. In fact, the Panthers have won five of the last six games against A-Sun opponents and six of the last eight. Through three games against teams from the A-Sun this season, the Panthers are 2-1, most recently earning a 59-38 victory over Kennesaw State on Dec. 2. FIU's other win over an A-Sun team came in a one-point, 53-52 victory at Stetson on Nov. 18. Last season, FIU picked up three wins over Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson and Kennesaw State to go a perfect 3-0 against the conference. This year, the Panthers' schedule features four teams from the A-Sun including Stetson (11/18), USC Upstate (11/27), Kennesaw State (12/2) and Florida Gulf Coast (12/14).

vs. NON-CON: Coming off an 82-57 defeat at Louisville on Dec. 5, the Panthers enter Sunday's contest against the Eagles with a 5-4 record in non-conference action. FIU went 8-7 in non-conference games last year, including a home-court win against Florida Gulf Coast (72-61 on Dec. 7, 2013) and a home-court loss to No. 6/4 Louisville (85-56 on Dec. 21, 2013). Of the seven losses, two resulted in five points or less and five came away from the friendly confines of Lime Court at FIU Arena. FIU picked up wins away from home at Kennesaw State, vs. Warren Wilson and at Bethune-Cookman. Three of FIU's non-conference losses came at South Carolina, vs. Louisville and at Georgetown.

FIU HOLDS KENNESAW STATE TO RECORD LOW 38 POINTS: In the 59-38 victory over Kennesaw State on Dec. 2, the Panthers' defense held Kennesaw State to 38 points (27 percent, 14-of-52), the lowest in program history for any FIU opponent. The last time FIU held a team to less than 40 points in a game was Florida College on Nov. 14, 2013, when the Anthony Evans coached team held the Falcons to a then-opponent record low to 39 points. These two games are the only two instances in program history where FIU has held an opponent under 40 points in a game. 

DRAPER DONS CAREER-HIGH IN WIN OVER OWLS: In the Dec. 2 win over Kennesaw State, junior Daviyon Draper had the best game of his career, scoring a career-high and game-high tying 16 points (7-of-13). The 16 points are the most in a Division I game for Draper. During his previous two seasons at Antelope Valley Community College, Draper did post a career-high 29 points at the junior college level. 

STRONG DEFENSE LEADING THE WAY FOR FIU: A major point of emphasis in FIU's success this year has been its play on the defensive side to the ball. The Panthers have held their opponents to 60 points or less in five of nine games and over 70 points just twice in losses at Georgia State and Louisville. Through Dec. 10, FIU currently ranks first in Conference USA and 46th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 59.0 points-per-game. The Panthers have done an exceptional job at guarding the basket, holding opponents to just 38.7 percent shooting from the field, which ranks first in the conference and 68th nationally. Teams have found little success shooting from long-distance against FIU, as the Panthers are allowing opponents to shoot 25.3 percent from three-point range, good for second in C-USA and 13th in the country. FIU's 8.0 steals-per-game also currently sits first in the conference while ranking 63rd in Division I.

NEXT UP: Following its matchup with the Eagles, FIU continues its eight-game road slate with a trip  to the Northeast to take on LIU Brooklyn on Dec. 18. The contest will be played at the Barclay's Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. This will mark the return to the hometown of Head Coach Anthony Evans. The matchup between the Panthers and the Blackbirds will be the second in the series history. FIU leads the all-time series 1-0, after earning a 54-50 victory in Miami on Dec. 28, 2001. The Panthers will head to Hartford, Conn. following the game on the 18th to take on the Hartford Hawks on Dec. 21.

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 FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.