MIAMI (Feb. 11, 2016) – Elmo Stephen tied his career-high with 18 points, and led four players in double figures, however FIU found themselves snake bit from the free throw line as UTEP defeated the Panthers 84-74 on Lime Court at FIU Arena. The loss drops FIU to 11-14 on the year and 5-7 in Conference USA play.
Shooting just 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the charity stripe, the Panthers were 2-of-4 (50.0 percent) from the line in the first half, and hit just 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) in the second stanza.
The win avenges a 79-69 loss that the Panthers handed UTEP at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 23 in El Paso.
Donte McGill joined Stephen in double figures with 16 points, and
Adrian Diaz and
Daviyon Draper each added 12 points in the loss.
The Panthers and Miners (14-11, 6-6 C-USA) were nearly even in the first half in their shooting performances from the field. UTEP hit 14-of-24 shots (58.3 percent) from the field in the first stanza, while FIU was 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the floor as the Miners took an eight-point lead, 45-37, into the locker room at the break.
The Panthers came out in the second half and cut the UTEP lead to three, twice, in the first 2:30; the first coming on a Draper layup with 18:05 left in the game, and the second on two Diaz free throws with 17:30 on the clock. That would be as close as FIU would get the rest of the way.
The Miners extended their lead to as many as 21 points in the second half, 81-60, before the Panthers cut the lead to the final margin, 10 points, 84-74, on two made free throws by Stephen with 51 seconds left.
Diaz grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the loss, while Draper, McGill and
Kimar Williams pulled down six, five and five rebounds, respectively.
FIU will closes out its short two-game homestand when it welcomes UTSA to Lime Court at FIU Arena on Feb. 13. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
For men's basketball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.
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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/.
