Photo Credit: Sam Lewis (pictured - junior Marco Porcher Jimenez)

FIU Game Notes (PDF)

FIU (12-12, 4-5 C-USA) vs. UTSA (7-15, 3-6 C-USA))

Teams - FIU Panthers (12-12 overall, 3-6 away); UTSA Roadrunners (16-7 overall, 3-6 away)
Date - Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014
Location - San Antonio, Texas
Arena - Convocation Center (2,650)
Tickets - 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263)
Television - N/A
Twitter - @FIUMensBBall
Facebook - FIUMensBBall
Live Video Streaming - www.GoUTSA.com
Live Stats - www.GoUTSA.com
Records - FIU enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 12-12 (4-5 C-USA) following a 70-68 loss versus Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 8. UTSA enters Thursday's game with a 7-15 (3-6 C-USA) record following an 81-71 loss at East Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Rankings - FIU is not ranked in either poll. UTSA is not ranked in either poll.
FIU Head Coach Anthony Evans - Coach Evans (St. Thomas Aquinas '94) enters Thursday's contest with a career record of 111-106 (.512 - seventh season overall) and 12-12 at FIU (.500 - first season).
UTSA Head Coach Brooks Thompson - Coach Thompson (Oklahoma State '94) enters Thursday's contest with a career record at UTSA of 113-128 (.469 - eighth season).
Series History - Thursday's game between FIU and UTSA will mark the second meeting between the two teams with the Roadrunners owning a 1-0 edge in the series history. The last meeting between the two teams resulted in a 71-65 win for the Roadrunners on Nov. 17, 2001, in Miami, Fla.
Officials - Announced on game day.

FIU Begins Texas Road Swing on Thursday
The FIU men's basketball team (12-12, 4-5 C-USA) will travel to San Antonio, Texas, to take on the UTSA Roadrunners (7-15, 3-6 C-USA) on Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Convocation Center. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The game will be the first of two from the “Lone Star” state as the Panthers will travel to El Paso, Texas, to face the UTEP Miners on Saturday, Feb. 15.

FIU is looking to snap a three-game, road-losing skid, by taking on the Roadrunners for the first time since the 2001-2002 season.

The Panthers are coming off a 70-68 loss to Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 8, from FIU Arena.  Four Panthers scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Jerome Frink's 18 points.  Frink scored a season-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. The Jersey City, N.J., native also collected five boards and registered two blocked shots. Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin poured in 15 points 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-3 from downtown. Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles added 12 points and six boards, while senior Tymell Murphy scored 11 points and recorded five rebounds.

The Panthers finished the afternoon shooting 51.0 percent from the floor (26-of-51) and converted 5-of-12 from beyond the arc (41.7 percent). The Blue Raiders out-rebounded the Panthers, 34-25, and held a 42-34 edge in points in the paint.

The Panthers enter this Thursday's action averaging 68.2 points-per-game, while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from 3-point range. The Panthers are converting 65.7 percent of its attempts from the free-throw line. Defensively, FIU is allowing 69.9 points-per-game as the opposition is shooting 42.5 percent from the floor. The Panthers are out-rebounding their opponents 906-819, averaging 37.8 boards-per-contest.

Leading the Panthers in scoring is Murphy, who comes into Thursday's contest, averaging 16.5 points-per-game (No. 6 in the conference) on 58.6 percent shooting from the floor (No. 5 in the conference and No. 18 in the nation). The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is averaging 7.9 rebounds-per-contest (No. 8 in the conference). Leading the team in rebounding (8.9 rpg – No. 3 in the conference) is Buckles, who ranks No. 38 in the nation on the boards and is No. 16 in the conference in scoring (13.6 ppg).

FIU – UTSA Series History
Thursday's game between FIU and UTSA will mark the second meeting all-time between the two teams.
    - FIU trails in the series history 0-1.
    - The last meeting between the two teams resulted in a 71-65 win for the Roadrunners on Nov. 17, 2001, in Miami, Fla.
    - Thursday will mark FIU's first-ever meeting with UTSA in San Antonio.
    - FIU owns a 35-63 mark versus teams from the current C-USA.
    - FIU is 3-7 in games played in outside the state of Florida this season.
    - FIU is 4-3 on games played on Thursdays this season.
    - FIU owns a 1-3 road record in C-USA action this season.
    - Head Coach Anthony Evans has never faced the Roadrunners.

An FIU Victory Would....
    - Improve FIU's record to 13-12.
    - Give FIU a 5-5 record in conference play.
    - Snap a current three-game, road-losing skid.
    - Improve FIU's record versus UTSA to 1-1.
    - Give FIU a 4-6 record in road games in '13-'14.
    - Give FIU a record of 2-2 in the month of February.
    - Improve Head Coach Anthony Evans' career record to 112-106.
    - Improve Coach Evans' record at FIU to 13-12.
    - Improve FIU to 36-63 all-time versus C-USA.
    - Give FIU its 389th win (actual on-court record).
    - Give FIU its 305th Division I win (actual on-court record).
    - Improve FIU to 4-7 in games played outside the state of Florida this season.

300+ for Murphy
With Tymell Murphy's 11 points versus Middle Tennessee, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored 395 points this season. That is currently the 25th-most by an FIU player in a single season and it's the 67th time a Panther has scored 300-or-more points in a season.

Get That Outta Here!
The FIU men's basketball team has totaled 109 blocked shots this season. That is good for No. 6 all-time in school history. The Panthers are currently No. 3 in the conference in blocks-per-game (4.54) and rank No. 68 nationally.

Lights Out
Senior Tymell Murphy enters Thursday's game shooting 58.6 percent (153-of-261) from the floor which ranks No. 5 in the conference and No. 18 nationally. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native's 58.6 percent from the floor is the sixth-highest shooting percentage by a Panther in a single season in FIU basketball history. For his career, Murphy is shooting 57.9 percent from the floor (349-of-603) good for No. 1 all-time at FIU.

More from the 300 Club
Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles has totaled 327 points this season, marking the 68th time a Panther has scored 300-or-more points in a single season. His 327 points are the 54th-most in a single season at FIU.

Block Party 2
The Panthers set a school record for blocked shots, recording 11 versus UAB on Thursday, Feb. 6. This feat bested the team's earlier effort this season in which FIU tallied 10 blocks versus Stetson. On Monday, Nov. 18, FIU tied the then-school-record for blocks in a game, recording 10 in the 75-66 win. The blocks total tied a mark set by FIU on two other occasions – Dec. 28, 2004 versus Ohio University and on Jan. 3, 1989 at UMES.

Raining Threes
Entering Thursday's game versus UTSA, the FIU Panthers have converted at least one 3-point basket in 169-straight games, dating back to Dec. 20, 2008.

There's No Place Like Home
The FIU Panthers have found success at home. So far this season, FIU has compiled a 8-4 record at home and is scoring 66.2 points-per-game on 46.2 percent shooting, while holding the opposition to 64.3 points-per-game on 39.6 percent shooting from the floor.

First-Time Opponents
With the Panthers' 78-73 win over UAB on Thursday, Feb. 6, FIU improved to 5-3 versus first-time opponents this season.

Movin' On Up
Senior Tymell Murphy enters Thursday's game with 863-career points. Currently ranked No. 12 all-time on the FIU scoring list, Murphy is averaging 16.5 points-per-game on 58.6 percent shooting from the floor. Murphy is eight points shy of moving to No. 11 all-time (James Mazyck – 871 pts. – 1993-1995).

29 for No. 15
Senior Tymell Murphy scored a career-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting at Marshall on Thursday, Jan. 31. It marked the 37th time an FIU player had scored 29-or-more points in a contest.  
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Career Blocks
Senior Tymell Murphy enters Thursday's contest having recorded 74 career blocked shots. The total ranks No. 3 all-time in FIU history and is 16 blocks shy of the No. 2 spot -  Russell Hicks (2007-2008).