STORYLINES:
• Dennis Mavin, who currently leads Conference USA in scoring, is just two points shy from reaching 1,000 career points.
• FIU is coming off loss at ODU where Adrian Diaz led the way with 17 points while Dennis Mavin recorded his second career double-double.
• Charlotte leads the all-time series, 1-0.

LAST TIME OUT: Following a 12-day stretch without a game, FIU fell to Old Dominion, 71-56, at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Thursday night. Leading the way for the Panthers on the scoring end was junior Adrian Diaz, who tallied 17 points to go along with five rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in 38 minutes of action. Senior guard Dennis Mavin recorded his second career double-double, as he scored 16 points and pulled in 10 rebounds while dishing out four assists. Sophomore Dominique Williams and junior Ray Rodriguez rounded out the top scorers for FIU, scoring six points each. Rodriguez made two shots from three-point range. For the game, FIU shot 41.7 percent from the field while allowing the Monarchs to shoot 50 percent, well above FIU's defensive season average. ODU also scored 21 points off turnovers.

THE GAME: FIU returns to action on Jan. 31 for a 7 p.m. matchup at the Charlotte 49ers. The game between FIU and Charlotte will mark just the second meeting all-time between the two teams as the 49ers hold a 1-0 lead. The last time these two teams met was Feb. 1, 2014 of last season, as FIU fell to Charlotte by a score of 73-61. Three Panthers reached double-digits in scoring, including Rakeem Buckles, who posted 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tymell Murphy tallied 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Dennis Mavin scored 14 points.

REST EASY AND LOOK OUT: A simple word to describe FIU's schedule this season would be crazy. Not too long ago, FIU began a 44-day stretch where it didn't play a home game. Most recently, the Panthers came into Thursday's contest with Old Dominion 12 days rested. FIU's Lime Court at FIU Arena hosted this year's "Miss Universe" pageant on Jan. 21 and 25, which eventually gave the men's squad a gap until their next scheduled game. Although the 12 days rest is nice, FIU is in the midst of play five games in 10 days, including three games at home next week that will be in a five-day span.

MAVIN LEADS CONFERENCE USA IN SCORING: Entering Saturday's contest with Charlotte, senior guard Dennis Mavin leads Conference USA in scoring. Mavin is averaging 17.1 points-per-game, edging WKU's T.J. Price for the league lead. 
Player (School)                                     PPG
Dennis Mavin (FIU)                                 17.1
T.J. Price (WKU) (has played 1 more game)        17.1
Jeromie Hill (UTSA)                                16.8
Raheem Appleby (LA Tech)                     16.7
Alex Hamilton (LA Tech)                          16.7

NEXT UP: Following its matchup with the 49ers, FIU will return to action on Feb. 3 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup at home versus rival Florida Atlantic. The game between FIU and FAU will mark just the 36th all-time between the two teams as the Panthers hold a 20-15 lead. The last time these two teams met was Jan. 4 of this season, as FIU opened up Conference USA play with a hard-fought 62-60 victory. Redshirt junior Adrian Diaz was dominant in the post, scoring 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while grabbing 11 rebounds to record his second-career double-double.

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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/.