THE GAME: FIU closes out its non-conference slate with a 7 p.m. matchup with the Florida A&M Rattlers on Monday night at 7 p.m. The Panthers are 5-6 all-time against Florida A&M, recently dropping an overtime contest last season by a score of 93-88 up in Tallahassee. Dennis Mavin recorded a then-career-high 24 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the floor and 16-of-21 from the free-throw line. Rakeem Buckles notched the game's only double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds. Six players scored in double figures for the Panthers.

LAST TIME OUT: FIU fell to the Hartford Hawks by a score of 82-69 last Sunday afternoon. The Hawks drained 13 three-pointers on the day, including 10 in the first half, to help guide their offense in the victory. Redshirt junior Adrian Diaz led the way for the Panthers, scoring 29 points on 13-of-14 shooting from the field, as his 13 made field goals matches his career-high. The Miami native added eight rebounds, one assist and one steal in 35 minutes of action. Redshirt junior Ray Rodriguez netted 11 points in the loss to go along with three assists and one steal. Also scoring in double-figures was sophomore Dominique Williams, who tallied 11 points, three assists and three steals.

PANTHERS IN THE FIFTH GAME OF AN EIGHT-GAME ROAD TRIP: FIU began an eight-game road trip at Louisville on Dec. 5, and it will conclude at UAB on Jan. 10. Following its contest with Kennesaw State on Dec. 2, FIU began a stretch of 44 days where it will not play a game from Lime Court at FIU Arena, as the Panthers' next home game is not until Jan. 15 versus Marshall. This is by far the longest stretch away from home in school history for FIU. The previous long was 38 days during the 2009-10 season when the Panthers went from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31, 2009 without playing at FIU Arena.

vs. MEAC: FIU has played a total of 22 games versus teams from the America East, posting a 12-10 record against those opponents. Of those 12 wins, five have come against Florida A&M and three have come against Maryland Eastern Shore. FIU is also 2-0 against upstate foe and MEAC member Bethune-Cookman. Head Coach Anthony Evans used to coach in the MEAC when he was at Norfolk State, where he was 8-1 against the Rattlers.

SCOUTING FAMU: The Rattlers are off to a rough start this season, having lost their first 11 games. Most recently, the Rattlers dropped 75-57 decision to East Carolina on Dec. 22. Jermaine Ruttley is the threat on offense for FAMU, as he is averaging 12.9 points-per-game while hauling in 5.3 rebounds-per-contest.

NEXT UP: Following its matchup with the Rattlers, FIU will open its second season of Conference USA play as it travels to Florida Atlantic on Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. The Panthers are 19-15 all-time against the Owls, recently earning a 74-70 victory in Boca Raton on March 6, 2014 to earn the season sweep between the two rivals. In that game, FIU trailed by as many as 16 points. The Panthers were led by Dennis Mavin, who posted 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. Rakeem Buckles added 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

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/.