HARRISONBURG, Va. (Nov. 20, 2015) – The FIU men's basketball team knew coming into Friday's game with James Madison University that things were not going to be easy; it was going to be its stiffest challenge of the young 2015-16 campaign. Despite the fact that the Panthers posted commanding victories in their first two games of the season, this was a matchup against a JMU team that will be looked at as one of the tougher games on FIUs schedule this year. And following the game, the feeling is probably mutual by the Dukes.
 
The Panthers placed four players in double-figures, led by Daviyon Draper's game-high 17 points, and 12 points apiece from Adrian Diaz and Donte Mcgill, however that wouldn't be enough as the Dukes handed FIU its first loss of the season, 64-61, on Friday during the first day of the JMU Men Against Breast Cancer Classic at the JMU Convocation Center.
 
In addition to his 12 points, Diaz also recorded 10 rebounds for his third-consecutive double-double, and the ninth of his career. He also added four blocked shots in the loss.
 
The Panthers shot 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field in the first half, including hitting at a 57.1 percent clip (4-for-7) from behind the three-point arc in the first 20 minutes of play. FIU would take its biggest lead of the game, a seven-point edge (12-5) on a jumper by Draper with 12:18 left in the half.
 
The Dukes (2-1), however, would settle things down and use a 15-7 run over the next 8:01 to take their first lead of the afternoon, 20-19, on a three-point shot by JMUs leading scorer Shakir Brown, with 4:17 left before the break.
 
FIU regained the lead, 28-27, with just 10 seconds left on a Diaz layup, only to see the Dukes' Ron Curry hit a running jumper as time expired, giving JMU a slight 29-28 edge at the intermission.
 
The Panthers came out of the gate quickly to start the second half, using a 5-0 run to take, what would be their biggest lead for the remainder of the game, 33-29, on another Draper jump shot with 18:01 left in the contest.
 
JMU regained the lead, and pushed it to its biggest advantage of the game, six points (51-46) with 7:59 left. FIU cut the Dukes' lead to two points, 53-51, with on a Jason Boswell three-point shot with 4:22 left but could not get any closer the rest of the way. Boswell finished the game with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from behind the three-point arc.
 
The Panthers, however, would have one last attempt to send the game into overtime. With JMU leading, 64-61, with three seconds left on the clock, the Dukes' Tom Vodanovich missed two free throws allowing FIU to set up a play during its final timeout. Mcgill would get a pass from Ray Rodriguez, and get an open look at a three-point shot, only to have his desperation attempt go left of the rim and off the backboard.
 
The Panthers finished the game shooting 44 percent (22-for-50) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-for-19) from behind the three-point line. FIU was outrebounded 41-37, and 15-8 on the offensive boards.
 
FIU will return to the hardwood, on Saturday, for day two of the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic as it faces UT Martin at 7:30 p.m. The Panthers will close out the Classic against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.
 
FIU will return home to Lime Court at FIU Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 25 when it faces LIU Brooklyn at 7 p.m.
For men's basketball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow @FIUHoops 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 at the FIU Football 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 Florida's 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, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.