GAME 13: FIU VS. NORTH FLORIDA
Wednesday, December 21, 2016 | 7 p.m.
Lime Court at FIU Arena | Miami, Fla. | PantherVision (CUSA TV)
 
FIU PANTHERS
Record: 3-9, 0-0 C-USA
Last Game: L, 60-53 vs.  Northern Illinois, December 17, 2016
Head Coach: Anthony Evans
Alma Mater: St. Thomas Aquinas, 1994 
Career Record: 146-155/10th season
Record at FIU: 47-61/Fourth season
Top Players: Donte McGill (19.9 ppg, 44.2% FG), Michael Kessens (13.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg)     
 
NORTH FLORIDA OSPREYS
Record: 4-10, 0-0 Atlantic Sun
Last Game: L, 80-59 at UConn, December 18, 2016
Head Coach: Matthew Driscoll
Alma Mater: Slippery Rock, 1992
Career Record: 148-199/11th season
Record at school: 122-122/Eighth season
Top Players: Dallas Moore (22.9 ppg, 49.1% FG), Garrett Sams (9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: PantherVision (CUSA TV)
Josh Appel (Play-by-play)
Pete Pelegrin (Color)
Radio/Audio: None
Live Stats: FIUSports.com
Series: Series tied, 1-1 (FIU, 2 wins vacated due to NCAA sanctions)
Twitter: @FIUHoops
Tickets: For ticket information, contact the FIU athletic ticket office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263). Single game tickets are $10 in advance and $12 on game day.
 
QUICK HITS
- FIU closes out its 2016-17 non-conference schedule on Dec. 21 when the Panthers host in-state foe North Florida on Lime Court at FIU Arena ... Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ... Fans who can't make it out to FIU Arena can watch the game live on PantherVision (CUSA TV) with Josh Appel calling the action and Pete Pelegrin proving color commentary ... Wednesday's game is the third-of-three that the Panthers will have played during a seven day stretch ... Following a brief break for the holidays, FIU begins Conference USA play against Marshall on Dec. 31 (1 p.m.) and WKU on Jan. 2 (7 p.m.) ending its five-game homestand.
 
- The Panthers are coming off a hard-fought, 60-53 loss to Northern Illinois on Dec. 17 ... Donte McGill scored a team-high 20 points, however only five other Panthers combined for 33 points in the loss, including Anthony Boswell with nine and Michael Kessens and Eric Nottage with eight points apiece ... Kimar Williams grabbed eight rebounds and tied his career high for assists with seven.
 
- McGill leads the team in scoring through 12 games this season, averaging 19.9 points-per-contest ... Kessens is averaging a double-double, netting 13.6 points-per-game, good enough for second on the team, and a team-high 10.6 rebounds-per-outing ... His rebounding average is tops in Conference USA and 21st in NCAA Division I (through games of Dec. 19) ... Eric Nottage rounds out the double-digit scorers, netting 10.5 points-per-game.
 
- Anthony Evans is in his fourth season as head coach of the Panthers, and his 10th season overall ... FIU's game against Georgia Southern on Dec. 15 was Evans' 300th of his head coaching career.
 
UP NEXT FOR FIU
- Following a short holiday break, the Panthers will return home to Lime Court at FIU Arena on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. to open Conference USA play against Marshall ... FIU will then close out its season-long five-game homestand on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. when WKU visits FIU Arena.
 
SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
- North Florida comes into its game with FIU posting a 4-10 record on the year ... Tonight's game is the second of a two-game road trip that began in Storrs, Connecticut on Sunday against the UConn Huskies (L, 80-59), and the fifth game of five that they will have played on the road during a six-game stretch ...  UNF placed three players in double figures against the Huskies, led by  Dallas Moore with 18 points ... Garrett Sams and Romelo Banks added 16 and 11 points, respectively ... Sams also had eight rebounds.
 
- Moore leads the Ospreys in scoring on the year, netting 22.9 points-per-game, however, UNF has three other players falling just below double figures ... Garrett Sams (9.8 ppg), Romelo Banks (9.5 ppg) and Wajid Aminu (9.0 ppg) ... Banks also leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 6.7 boards-per-game.
 
- UNF hasn't been afraid to play tough competition this season ... Seven of its 14 opponents have been against major conference competition: at Auburn (L, 83-66), home against Miami (L, 94-56), at LSU (L, 78-70), home against Florida (L, 91-60), at Syracuse (L, 77-71), at Arkansas (L, 91-76) and at UConn (L, 80-59).
 
THE SERIES AGAINST NORTH FLORIDA
- Wednesday's game between FIU and North Florida will be the fifth meeting in the all-time series between the two schools ... The series is tied at 1-1, although the actual on court record has the Panthers holding a 3-1 series lead ... FIU had two wins vacated - from the 2003-04 season and the 2005-06 season - due to NCAA sanctions ... The Ospreys handed the Panthers a 94-72 loss last season in Jacksonville.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT AGAINST UNF
- FIU dropped its fourth straight game when North Florida handed the Panthers a 94-72 setback on Dec. 14.
 
- Adrian Diaz led five players in double figures with 19 points, while Cameron Smith added 11 points in the loss ... Daviyon Draper, Jason Boswell and Donte McGill all added 10 points apiece ... It was the first time since Nov. 12, 2014, against Warren Wilson, that five FIU players netted double-figure points in a game.
 
- Smith also grabbed a team- and career-high 12 rebounds, to go along with his 11 points, for his first career double-double.
 
- FIU shot 43.8 percent (28-of-46) from the field and out rebounded the Ospreys, 49-34, and 19-10 on the offensive glass.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE PANTHERS
- FIU is coming off a tough 60-53 loss to Northern Illinois on Dec. 17 in what was the Panthers' second game in three days ... The Panthers finished the night shooting 35.2 percent (19-of-54) from the field, including 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from behind the three-point arc, and 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the charity stripe.
 
- Donte McGill scored a team-high 20 points, however only five other Panthers combined for 33 points in the loss, including Anthony Boswell with nine and Michael Kessens and Eric Nottage with eight points apiece ... Kimar Williams grabbed eight rebounds and tied his career high for assists with seven.
 
- FIU shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field on the night, including 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from behind the three-point line, and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the free-throw line ... The Panthers finished the game hitting 38.5 percent (20-of-52) from the field on the night.