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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 1, 2014) – The FIU men's basketball team (11-11, 3-4 C-USA) fell to the Charlotte 49ers (14-7, 5-3 C-USA), 73-61, on Saturday night at the Dale F. Halton Arena.
 
Three Panthers reached double-digits in scoring, including redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles, who posted 20 points and 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Senior Tymell Murphy also notched his ninth double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while redshirt junior Dennis Mavin scored 14 points.  
 
FIU finished the night shooting 38.5 percent (25-of-65) from the floor and was just 1-of-12 from 3-point land. The 49ers converted 50.9 percent (27-of-53) of their shots from the floor, including 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from beyond the arc. The Panthers held a 42-33 advantage on the boards and out-scored Charlotte, 40-25, in the paint.
 
FIU tried to rebound from a slow first half with a 40-point second-half performance. The Panthers shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33) from the floor in the second half. However, FIU could not overcome a 9-point deficit coming out of halftime.
 
The Panthers trailed the 49ers 30-21 heading into halftime. An 8-0 run by Charlotte in the final 4:24 in the first half gave the 49ers a 9-point lead after 20 minutes of action.
 
With the loss, FIU has lost two-straight overall and three-straight on the road.
 
The Panthers will return home to host the UAB Blazers on Thursday, Feb. 6. Tipoff from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena is set for 7:00 p.m.
 
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/.