Photo Credit: Sam Lewis (pictured - redshirt junior Dennis Mavin)

FIU Game Notes (PDF)

FIU (11-11, 3-4 C-USA) vs. UAB (14-7, 3-4 C-USA)

Teams - FIU Panthers (11-11 overall, 7-3 home); UAB Blazers (14-7 overall, 2-3 away)
Date - Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014
Location - Miami, Fla.
Arena - U.S. Century Bank Arena (5,000)
Tickets - 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263)
Television - N/A
Twitter - @FIUMensBBall
Facebook - FIUMensBBall
Live Video Streaming - PantherVision (www.FIUSports.com)
Live Stats - www.FIUSports.com
Records - FIU enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 11-11 (3-4 C-USA) following a 73-61 loss at Charlotte on Saturday, Feb. 1. UAB enters Thursday's game with a 14-7 (3-4 C-USA) record following a 74-67 loss versus East Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Rankings - FIU is not ranked in either poll. UAB 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 110-105 (.512 - seventh season overall) and 11-11 at FIU (.500 - first season). 
UAB Head Coach Jerod Haase - Coach Haase (Kansas '97) enters Thursday's contest with a career record at UAB of 30-24 (.556 - second season).
Series History - Saturday's game between FIU and UAB will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Officials - Announced on game day

FIU hosts UAB for the First of Two-Straight at U.S. Century Bank Arena
The FIU men's basketball team (11-11, 3-4 C-USA) will host the UAB Blazers (14-7, 3-4 C-USA) on Thursday, Feb. 6, for the first of two-straight home games on Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena. The Panthers are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, while vying for the team's third-straight home victory.

FIU is coming off a 73-61 loss at Charlotte where 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.

The Panthers enter this Saturday's action averaging 67.7 points-per-game, while shooting 44.5 percent from the floor and 29.0 percent from 3-point range. The Panthers are converting 65.9 percent of its attempts from the free-throw line. Defensively, FIU is allowing 69.7 points-per-game as the opposition is shooting 42.2 percent from the floor. The Panthers are out-rebounding their opponents 845-751, averaging 38.4 boards-per-contest.

Leading the Panthers in scoring is Murphy, who comes into Saturday's contest, averaging 16.7 points-per-game (No. 6 in the conference) on 58.7 percent shooting from the floor (No. 5 in the conference and No. 19 in the nation). The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is averaging 8.1 rebounds-per-contest (No. 7 in the conference). Leading the team in rebounding (9.0 rpg – No. 4 in the conference) is Buckles, who ranks No. 41 in the nation on the boards and is No. 17 in the conference in scoring (13.4 ppg).

FIU – UAB Series History
Thursday's game between FIU and UAB will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
    - FIU owns a 34-62 mark versus teams from the current C-USA.
    - FIU is 8-4 in games played in the state of Florida this season.
    - FIU is 3-3 on games played on Thursdays this season.
    - FIU owns a 2-1 home record in C-USA action this season.
    - Head Coach Anthony Evans has never faced the Blazers.

An FIU Victory Would....
    - Improve FIU's record to 12-11.
    - Give FIU a 4-4 record in conference play.
    - Snap a two-game losing skid for the Panthers.
    - Improve FIU's record versus UAB to 1-0.
    - Give FIU an 8-3 record in home games in '13-'14.
    - Give FIU a record of 1-1 in the month of February.
    - Improve Head Coach Anthony Evans' career record to 111-105.
    - Improve Coach Evans' record at FIU to 12-11.
    - Improve FIU to 35-62 all-time versus C-USA.
    - Give FIU its 388th win (actual on-court record).
    - Improve FIU to 5-3 versus first-time opponents this season.
    - Give FIU its 304th Division I win (actual on-court record).
    - Improve FIU to 9-4 in games played in the state of Florida this season.

First-Time Opponents
Thursday's game with UAB will mark the eighth contest for FIU versus a first-time opponent this season. The Panthers are currently 4-3 in those contests.

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.  

300+ for Murphy
With Tymell Murphy's 11 points at Charlotte, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored 368 points this season. That is currently the 36th-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.

“Mann”-ing the Boards
Redshirt sophomore Cody Mann grabbed a career-high nine rebounds at Marshall on Thursday, Jan. 31.  

Lights Out
Senior Tymell Murphy enters Thursday's game shooting 58.7 percent (142-of-242) from the floor which ranks No. 5 in the conference and No. 19 nationally. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native's 58.7 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 (338-of-584) good for No. 1 all-time at FIU.

Raining Threes
Entering Thursday's game versus UAB, the FIU Panthers have converted at least one 3-point basket in 167-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 7-3 record at home and is scoring 64.8 points-per-game on 45.5 percent shooting, while holding the opposition to 62.9 points-per-game on 38.4 percent shooting from the floor.

Movin' On Up
Senior Tymell Murphy enters Thursday's game with 836-career points. Currently ranked No. 13 all-time on the FIU scoring list, Murphy is averaging 16.7 points-per-game on 58.7 percent shooting from the floor. Murphy is 20 points shy of moving to No. 12 all-time (Darius Cook – 856 pts. – 1997-2000).

Career Blocks
Senior Tymell Murphy enters Thursday's contest having recorded 70 career blocked shots. The total ranks No. 6 all-time in FIU history and is two blocks shy of the No. 5 spot -  Hector Rodriguez (1984-1986).

Dynamic Duo
Seniors Tymell Murphy and Rakeem Buckles enter Thursday's game with Charlotte having combined for 64 blocked shots (30 – Buckles; 34 – Murphy). FIU currently ranks No. 5 in C-USA in total blocks (94). The two have also combined for a conference-best 375 rebounds (178 - Murphy; 197 - Buckles).