GAME 32: CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND
No. 11 seed FIU vs. No. 6 UTEP
March 9, 2016 | 9:30 p.m. ET | Legacy Arena | Birmingham, Ala.
 
FIU PANTHERS
Record: 13-18, 7-11 C-USA
Last Game: L, 61-58 vs. Middle Tennessee, March 5, 2016
Head Coach: Anthony Evans
Alma Mater: St. Thomas Aquinas, 1994 
Career Record: 143-145/ninth season
Record at FIU: 44-51/third season
 
UTEP MINERS
Record: 18-13, 10-8 C-USA
Last Game: W, 81-74 vs. UTSA, March 5, 2016
Head Coach: Tim Floyd
Alma Mater: Louisiana Tech, 1977
Career Record: 449-256/22nd season
Record at school: 121-76/sixth season
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: American Sports Network/Americansportsnet.com
Radio/Audio: None
Live Stats: TBA
Twitter: @FIUHoops
 
QUICK HITS
- FIU returns home, for two-straight games, looking to end its four-game losing streak against UTEP on Feb. 11 ... The Panthers will close out its short two-game home stretch on Saturday,  Feb. 13 against UTSA ... Both games will tipoff at 7 p.m. on Lime Court at FIU Arena.
 
- The Panthers look to end their four-game losing streak, their longest skid since dropping five straight from Nov. 30 through Dec. 19 ... Despite its losing streak, FIU is 7-6 in its last 13 games.
 
- The Panthers are coming off a tough 67-66 loss at Middle Tennessee on Saturday night ... Daviyon Draper tied his career-high, and scored a game-high 25 points, while Donte McGill chipped in with 15 points and a career-high tying, and game-high, nine rebounds.
 
- FIU is looking for its eighth win in its last 14 games, after starting the season 4-6 ... The Panthers are 11-13 on the year and 5-6 in Conference USA.
 
- McGill, Adrian Diaz and Draper are all tied for the team lead in scoring, netting 15.6 points-per-game ... Draper is averaging 21.0 points-per-game is his last four ... Draper paces the team in conference games averaging 18.5 points-per-game ... Diaz and Draper are averaging 7.7 and 7.0 rebounds-per-game, respectively. 
 
THE SERIES AGAINST UTEP
- UTEP holds a commanding 6-1 series lead, dating back to the 1998-99 season ... The Panthers are 0-3 at home, 1-2 in El Paso, and 0-1 in neutral site games with that contest taking place last season in the Conference USA quarterfinals ... The Miners handed FIU a season-ending 83-71 loss.
 
EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST THE MINERS
- In the first meeting of the season, FIU posted a thrilling 79-69 win at UTEP on Jan. 23 to complete a sweep of the Lone Star state ... FIU led for all but 3:15 of the game, and by as many as 21 points - 64-43 with 10:43 left in the game - before the Miners staged a furious comeback to cut the lead to three, 70-67 with 2:48 left ... Eric Nottage, however, stopped the bleeding and ended a four-plus minute scoring drought, hitting his only field goal of the game, a three-point shot, with 2:22 left in the game to put the Panthers up 73-67 ... Adrian Diaz led three FIU players in double-digits with 20 points ... Daviyon Draper chipped in 17 points and 10 ... Donte McGill also added 16 points.
 
- On March 11, FIU suffered a tough 84-74 loss to UTEP on ... The setback marked the Panthers' fifth-straight loss ... Elmo Stephen scored a career-high tying 18 points to lead four Panthers in double figures ... Donte McGill chipped in with 16 points and Adrian Diaz and Daviyon Draper added 12 points apiece ... Draper also led the team on the glass grabbing seven rebounds ... The Panthers shot 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field, however, were snake bit from the free throw line hitting just 46.9 percent (15-of-32) of their shots.
 
FIU IN CONFERENCE POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT'S
- FIU enters its second-consecutive Conference USA Championship looking to take the next step after winning its first game in the C-USA Tournament last season ... The Panthers did not participate in the 2014 tournament - following their first regular season in Conference USA - due to APR sanctions ... FIU is 17-20 all-time in postseason conference tournaments ... FIU has won a game in its conference postseason tournament in two of the past three seasons defeating UTSA, 57-54, on March 11, 2015 in the Conference USA Tournament and Arkansas-Little Rock, 69-54 on March 9, 2013 and Middle Tennessee, 61-57 on March 10, 2013 on its run to the Sun Belt Conference championship game. 
 
- FIU has advanced to the quarterfinals in 12 of its league tournaments (Trans America Athletic Conference/now Atlantic Sun, Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA) and are 7-5 in quarterfinal games ... In addition, the Panthers have played in six semifinal games (4-2).
 
- FIU has played in three championship games, posting a 1-2 record ... The Panthers won the 1995 Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) championship with a 68-57 win over Mercer ... They advanced to the title game with a 63-56 win over Stetson in the quarterfinals and a 65-64 overtime win over Southeast Louisiana in the semifinals ... FIU also reached the TAAC championship in 1998, losing to the College of Charleston (72-63), and the Sun Belt Conference title game - in its final season in the league in 2013 - dropping a 65-63 decision to current Conference USA foe Western Kentucky.
 
- Last season, FIU, seeded No. 10, stunned No. 7 seed UTSA when Dennis Mavin drained a halfcourt shot to defeat the Roadrunners, 57-54 ... The Panthers would have their season ended the next night when UTEP handed FIU an 83-71 loss.