GAME SEVEN: FIU at ELON
Wednesday, November 30, 2016 | 7 p.m.
Alumni Memorial Gym | Elon, N.C.
 
FIU PANTHERS
Record: 3-4, 0-0 C-USA
Last Game: W, 74-57 vs. Binghamton, November 27, 2016
Head Coach: Anthony Evans
Alma Mater: St. Thomas Aquinas, 1994 
Career Record: 146-150/10th season
Record at FIU: 47-56/Fourth season
Top Players: Donte McGill (18.0 ppg, 45.6% FG), Michael Kessens (14.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg)     
 
ELON PHOENIX
Record: 5-1, 0-0 Colonial Athletic
Last Game: W, 77-66 vs. Cal Poly, November 26, 2016
Head Coach: Matt Matheny
Alma Mater: Davidson, 1992
Career Record: 113-117/Eighth season
Record at school: 113-117/Eighth season
Top Players: Steven Santa Ana (13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Brian Dawkins (12.3 ppg, 66.7% FG)
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: ElonPhoenix.com (Click here to watch the game live)
Radio/Audio: ElonPhoenix.com
Live Stats: ElonPhoenix.com
Series: Elon leads, 1-0
Twitter: @FIUHoops
Tickets: For ticket information, contact the Elon University athletic ticket office at (336) 278-6750
 
QUICK HITS
- FIU tips off a three-game road stretch on Nov. 30 when it travels to the Triad region of North Carolina to face Elon at Alumni Memorial Gym ... Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ... The meeting between the Panthers and Phoenix can be seen live by visiting ElonPhoenix.com and selecting the schedule link on the men's basketball page ... Wednesday's game is the first of a two-game road trip, for FIU, that will end on Dec. 4 when the Panthers face South Carolina in Columbia ... Game time against the Gamecocks is 2 p.m. ... The Panthers will close out the three-game stretch on Dec. 11 at Florida Gulf Coast (8:15 p.m.)
 
- The Panthers are coming off a 74-57 win over Binghamton on Nov. 27 in Miami ... The win was the second-straight for FIU after dropping its previous four games ... Donte McGill and Michael Kessens each scored 18 points while Eric Nottage  and Elmo Stephen added 12 and 11 points, respectively ... Kessens also grabbed 10 rebounds.
 
- McGill leads the team in scoring through seven games this season, averaging 18 points-per-contest ... Kessens is averaging a double-double netting 14.5 points-per-game, good enough for second on the team, and a team-high 10.3 rebounds-per-outing ... Nottage rounds out the double-digit scorers netting 10.6 points-per-game.
 
UP NEXT FOR FIU
- Following Wednesday's game at Elon, the Panthers will stay on the road and travel to Columbia, South Carolina, to face the South Carolina on Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. ... The meeting with the Gamecocks will be the second of a three-game road stretch for FIU ... The Panthers will close out the road stretch at Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 11 at 8:15 p.m.
 
- The Panthers will not return home until it begins a season-long five-game homestand on Lime Court at FIU Arena, starting on Dec. 15 against Georgia Southern (7 p.m.) ... FIU will also face Northern Illinois on Dec. 17 (7 p.m.), North Florida on Dec. 21 (7 p.m.), and begin Conference USA play against Marshall on Dec. 31 (1 p.m.) and WKU on Jan. 2 (7 p.m.).
 
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
- Elon comes into its game with FIU boasting an impressive 5-1 record, and winners of its last four games ... The Phoenix are coming off a 72-66 win over Cal Poly in the title game of the Northern Illinois Thanksgiving Tournament in DeKalb ... Luke Eddy poured in a game-high 25 points while Dmitri Thompson added 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the win.
 
- The Phoenix also defeated the host Huskies (85-80) and Illinois-Chicago (91-80) en route to the title ... Elon started its winning streak on Nov. 17 with a 74-61 win over USF in Tampa.
 
- Steve Santa Ana leads five Elon players who are averaging double-figure points on the year for the Phoenix, netting 13 points-per-game ... Brian Dawkins is averaging 12.3 points-per-game, while Luke Eddy and Tyler Seibring are scoring at a 12 point- and 11.5 point-per-game clip ... Dmitri Thompson rounds out the double-figure scorers, averaging 10.7 points-per-game while also grabbing a team-high 6.2 rebounds-per-outing.
 
THE SERIES VS. ELON
- Last season's game with between FIU and Elon marked the first meeting all-time between the two schools, with the Phoenix handing the Panthers a 77-71 loss.
 
PAST TIME OUT VS. THE PHOENIX
- FIU lost back-to-back games for the first time during the 2015-16 campaign when it came out on the short end of a 77-71 decision against Elon on Dec. 4.
 
- The Panthers shot better than 50 percent for the second-straight game, and for the third time to that point in the  season ... FIU shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the floor and 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from three-point range ... The Panthers found themselves down 36-31 at the half, with 30 of Elon's 36 points coming from behind the three-point arc.
 
- FIU lost the turnover battle, handing the ball over 16 times as opposed to just seven miscues by the Phoenix ... The Panthers' 16 turnovers would lead to 21 Elon points on the night.
 
- Donte McGill scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-of-1 from three-point range, and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line ... He also led the team in rebounding - from the guard position - with eight boards ... Adrian Diaz was the Panthers' only other player in double figures with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.