GAME 26: FIU at SOUTHERN MISS
Thursday, February 16, 2017 | 8 p.m. (ET)
Reed Green Coliseum | Hattiesburg, Miss.
 
FIU PANTHERS
Record: 6-19, 2-10 C-USA
Last Game: W, 90-71 vs. North Texas, February 11, 2017
Head Coach: Anthony Evans
Alma Mater: St. Thomas Aquinas, 1994 
Career Record: 149-165/10th season
Record at FIU: 50-71/Fourth season
Top Players: Donte McGill (19.1 ppg, 44.3% FG), Michael Kessens (13.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg)
               
SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES
Record: 7-18, 4-9 C-USA
Last Game: L, 80-50 at UTEP, February 11, 2017
Head Coach: Doc Sadler
Alma Mater: Arkansas, 1982
Career Record: 167-166/15th season
Record at school: 18-59/Third season
Top Players: Quinton Campbell (12.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Cortez Edwards (10.1 ppg, 3.2 apg)
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: CUSA-TV, FIUSports.com
Radio/Audio: SouthernMiss.com
John Cox (Play-by-play)
Live Stats: FIUSports.com
Series: Southern Miss leads, 2-1
Twitter: @FIUHoops
Tickets: For ticket information, contact the Southern Miss athletic ticket office at 1-800-844-TICK. Single game tickets start at just $10.
 
QUICK HITS
- FIU hits the road as it travels to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to face Southern Miss on Feb. 16, in the first of two games on its swing trip through Mississippi and Louisiana ... Game time at Reed Green Coliseum is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET) ... Following Thursday's game, the Panthers will head to Ruston, Louisiana to take on Louisiana Tech on Feb. 18 (7 p.m. ET). 
 
- FIU is coming off a 90-71 win over North Texas on Feb. 11 in Miami, snapping its four-game losing streak ... Elmo Stephen paced the way for the Panthers with a career-high 34 points and a career-best 12 points for his first collegiate double-double ... Donte McGill added 17 points and Cameron Smith chipped in with a career-high-tying 14 points.
 
- McGill leads the team in scoring through 25 games, averaging 19.1 points-per-contest ... Kessens is averaging 13.3 points-per-game, good enough for second on the team, and a team-high 9.3 rebounds-per-outing ... His rebounding average is tops in Conference USA ... Eric Nottage is netting 11.4 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 Thursday's game at Southern Miss, the Panthers will close out its short swing trip on Saturday, Feb. 18 when they travel to Ruston, Louisiana to face Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. (ET).
 
- The Panthers will return to Lime Court at FIU Arena for its final homestand of the season, beginning on Feb. 23 when UTSA comes to Miami (7 p.m.) and then FIU closes out its 2016-17 home slate during Senior Night on Feb. 25 against UTEP (7 p.m.).
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN MISS
- Southern Miss comes into Thursday's game with a 7-18 record and a 4-9 mark in Conference USA ... The Golden Eagles have dropped three-straight games, following their 80-50 loss on Feb. 11 at UTEP, and eight of their last 10 ... Cortez Edwards scored a team-high 13 points and Quinton Campbell grabbed a game-high seven rebounds in the loss.
 
- Quinton Campbell leads Southern Miss in the scoring column, averaging 12.3 points-per-game on the year, while Cortez Edwards is netting 10.1 points-per-contest ... Tim Rowe leads the team on the glass, grabbing 6.4 rebounds-per-outing.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST THE GOLDEN EAGLES
- FIU and Southern Miss have met just three times all-time, with the Golden Eagles leading the series, 2-1 ... The Panthers' only win was a 73-71 decision in overtime on Feb. 12, 2015 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST SOUTHERN MISS
- FIU dropped a 66-60 decision to Southern Miss on Lime Court at FIU Arena on Jan. 16, 2016.
 
- Donte McGill and Adrian Diaz each scored 19 points, while Daviyon Draper chipped in with 13 points ... McGill scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half, while Diaz netted 17 of his 19 in the second half ... Diaz and Draper each grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
 
- After shooting 44.4 percent (12-of-27) in the first half, the Panthers shot just 27.3 percent (6-of-22) in the second stanza, while the Golden Eagles hit a blistering 58.3 percent (14-of-24) of their attempts in the second half ... For the game, FIU shot 36.7 percent (18-of-49) from the field - including 17.6 percent (3-of-17) from behind the arc - and 75.0 percent (21-of-28) from the free-throw line.
 
- FIU recorded single-digit turnovers (7) for the fourth straight game, after posting fewer than 10 just once in the first 14 games (5 vs. Trinity Baptist, Nov. 13).
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE PANTHERS
- FIU snapped its four-game losing streak with a 90-71 win over North Texas on Feb. 11 in Miami ... Elmo Stephen paced the way for the Panthers with a career-high 34 points and a career-best 12 points for his first collegiate double-double ... Donte McGill added 17 points and Cameron Smith chipped in with a career-high tying 14 points.
 
- The Panthers shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) from the field on the night, including 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from behind the three-point arc with five of the nine credited to Stephen.