GAME 27: FIU at LOUISIANA TECH
Saturday, February 18, 2017 | 8 p.m. (ET)
Thomas Assembly Center | Ruston, La.
 
FIU PANTHERS
Record: 6-20, 2-11 C-USA
Last Game: L, 69-66 (ot) at Southern Miss, February 16, 2017
Head Coach: Anthony Evans
Alma Mater: St. Thomas Aquinas, 1994 
Career Record: 149-166/10th season
Record at FIU: 50-72/Fourth season
Top Players: Donte McGill (18.9 ppg, 44.0% FG), Michael Kessens (13.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg)
               
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS
Record: 19-8, 11-3 C-USA
Last Game: W, 95-69 vs. Florida Atlantic, February 16, 2017
Head Coach: Erik Konkol
Alma Mater: Wisconsin at Eau Claire, 2000
Career Record: 42-18/Second season
Record at school: Same
Top Players: Erik McCree (17.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg), Jacobi Boykins (14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: CUSA-TV, FIUSports.com
Radio/Audio: Note
Live Stats: FIUSports.com
Series: Louisiana Tech leads, 5-4
Twitter: @FIUHoops
Tickets: For ticket information, contact the Louisiana Tech athletic ticket office at (318) 257-3631
 
QUICK HITS
- The Panthers close out their two-game swing trip through Mississippi and Louisiana on Saturday, Feb. 18 when they travels to Ruston, Louisiana to face Louisiana Tech ... Tipoff at the Thomas Assembly Center is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) ...  Following Saturday's game, FIU will return to Miami for its final homestand of the season against UTSA on Feb. 23 (7 p.m.) and UTEP on Feb. 25 (7 p.m.).
 
- FIU is coming off a 69-66 overtime loss to Southern Miss on Feb. 16 in Hattiesburg ... Elmo Stephen led four players in double figures for FIU with 17 points, while Eric Nottage added 15 points in the loss ... Donte McGill and Michael Kessens chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively ... Eric Lockett grabbed a team- and career-high nine rebounds.
 
- McGill leads the team in scoring through 26 games, averaging 18.9 points-per-contest ... Kessens is averaging 13.3 points-per-game, good enough for second on the team, and a team-high 9.2 rebounds-per-outing ... His rebounding average is tops in Conference USA ... Eric Nottage and Elmo Stephen are  netting 11.4 and 10.1 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 Saturday's game at Louisiana Tech, 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.) ... FIU closes out its 2016-17 home slate during Senior Night on Feb. 25 against UTEP (7 p.m.).
 
- The Panthers close out the regular season at Middle Tennessee on March. 2 (7:30 p.m. ET) and at UAB on March 4 (8 p.m. ET).
 
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH
- Louisiana Tech comes into Saturday as one of the hottest teams in Conference USA ... The Bulldogs are 19-8 on the season and 11-3 in C-USA following their 95-69 win over Florida Atlantic on Thursday night in Ruston ... LA Tech has won its last five-straight games, nine of their last 11 and 12 of their last 14 games.
 
- Erik McCree leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.6 points-per-game and a team-best 8.9 rebounds-per-contest ... Jacobi Boykins is the only other player averaging double-figure points for LA Tech, netting 14.5 points-per-outing.
 
THE SERIES VS. THE BULLDOGS
- LA Tech comes into its game with FIU holding a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Panthers ... The Bulldogs hold a slight 2-1 advantage with both schools as members of Conference USA.
 
- FIU and LA Tech met twice a season from the 1998-99 season through the 2000-01 campaign while both schools were members of the Sun Belt Conference ... The series was tied at 3-3 during that stretch.
 
- The Panthers are 2-3 all-time at the Thomas Assembly Center ... FIU's last win in Ruston was on Feb. 25, 2001 (49-45).
 
- FIU won the only overtime game played in the series, 73-65, on Feb. 6, 1999 (2ot) in Miami.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST LA TECH
- FIU turned in an impressive 88-74 wire-to-wire win over Louisiana Tech on Jan. 14, 2016 on Lime Court at FIU Arena.
 
- Donte McGill led the Panthers with a career-high 29 points - including 23 points in the first half - while Daviyon Draper chipped in 18 points in the win ... Adrian Diaz and Jason Boswell each added 11 points.
 
- FIU shot an impressive 56.9 percent (33-of-58) from the field - including a blistering 71.4 percent (20-of-28) from the floor in the first half - and 50 percent (10-of-20) from behind the three-point arc ... The Panthers also shot 75.0 percent (12-of-16) from the free-throw line on the night.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE PANTHERS
- FIU is coming off a 69-66 overtime loss to Southern Miss on Feb. 16 in Hattiesburg ... Elmo Stephen led four players in double figures for FIU with 17 points, while Eric Nottage added 15 points in the loss ... Donte McGill and Michael Kessens chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively ... Eric Lockett grabbed a team- and career-high nine rebounds.