Game Details
FIU 79, UTSA 76
FIU (8-9, 2-2 C-USA), UTSA (9-9, 2-3 C-USA)
San Antonio, Texas | UTSA Convocation Center
 
The Basics
-Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina) hit the second of two free throws with 18.8 seconds left in the game and FIU's tough defense thwarted a last-second desperation three-point attempt that kicked off the left side of the rim as the Panthers held off UTSA for a thrilling 79-76 win at the UTSA Convocation Center, Thursday night. The victory snaps the Panthers' two-game losing streak and improves their record to 8-9 overall and to 2-2 in Conference USA play, while the Roadrunners level at 9-9 and move to 2-3 in league play.
 
- Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California) led five players in double figures with 20 points while Jacob and Eric Lockett (Warner Robins, Georgia) added 16 and 15 points, respectively in the win. Osasumwen Osaghae (Miami, Florida) netted a career-high with 10 points along with a career-best five blocked shots. Michael Douglas (Sachse, Texas) also added 10 points.
 
- The Panthers used a 19-4 run – including a 10-0 stretch – over nearly four minutes to take their biggest lead of the half, 29-17, with 11 minutes left in the first stanza, on an Osaghae free-throw. FIU took advantage of several hot hands from long range during the first 20 minutes, hitting 58.3 percent (7-for-12) of its shots from behind the three-point arc. Those seven treys accounted for half of the Panthers' field goals in the first stanza (14-for-30, 46.7 percent).   
 
- UTSA would not go quietly in the first half, cutting the FIU lead to three points, 31-28, almost three minutes later, when the Roadrunners put together their own 11-2 run. The Panthers bent but didn't break as it took a 47-37 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
- FIU led by no fewer than six points during the majority of the second half and pushed the lead back to 12 points, 61-49, on a Cordell Veira (Etobicoke, Ontario) layup with 12:10 left in the game, matching its game-high lead. The Panthers still kept the Roadrunners at arms length, before UTSA got the lead under six, 71-66, on a dunk with 3:02 left. Beard, Jr. would put the Panthers back up by eight, only to have UTSA score the next six points to cut the lead to two, 78-76, on a Giovanni DeNicolao layup with five seconds on the clock. After Jacob was fouled on the inbounds pass, he stepped to the line and hit the second of his two free throw attempts to give the Panthers a three-point advantage. DeNicolao drove the length of the court and found his way to the top of the key, however his running three-point attempt went off the side of the rim.
 
- On the night, FIU finished the game shooting 44.4 percent (26-for-58) from the field and season-high 47.4 percent (9-for-19) from behind the three-point arc.
 
The Turning Point
Although there were many spots during the game, a key defensive stop by Trejon Jacob with 20 seconds remaining – and during UTSA's 6-0 run – took away what could have been a big possession for the Roadrunners.
 
Stat of the Game
FIU had another big presence in the paint, outscoring UTSA, 30-24, in the lane, with Osaghae being a major presence inside.
 
Notable
- Tonight's starters for FIU were: G Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina), G Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California), G Eric Lockett (Warner Robins, Georgia), F Hassan Hussein (Lorton, Virginia), and C Elhadji Dieng (Mbour, Senegal) … The Panthers are 4-8 with this starting five.

- Thursday's win over the Roadrunners snaps the Panthers two-game losing streak to UTSA.

- The Panthers' win tonight at UTSA marks FIU's first Conference USA road win since Feb. 23, 2016 when it defeated Florida Atlantic, 71-63, in Boca Raton.

- G Eric Lockett's 15 points marks his 14^th double-figure scoring game of the season and the 18^th of his career … Lockett has netted double figures in 16 of his last 18 games, dating back to the end 2016-17 season.

- Lockett also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds which fell just short of his fourth career double-double.

- G Trejon Jacob netted double-figures for the 15^th time this season with his 16 points.

- G Brian Beard, Jr.'s 20 points marks his 15^th double-figure scoring performance of the season, and the 15^th-straight ... It is his third 20-point game of his FIU career.

- Osasumwen Osaghae had a career night with 10 points and five blocked shots, both career highs … It was Osaghae's first career double-figure scoring game.

- Osaghae's five blocked shots is the most by an FIU player since Adrian Diaz set the school single-game record with 13 rejections against UAB on March 7, 2015. 

Up Next
FIU will close out its Texas road trip on Saturday, Jan. 13, when the Panthers travel to West Texas to face UTEP. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. ET. The Panthers return to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Jan. 18 to face Old Dominion (7 p.m., ESPN3) and Charlotte on Jan. 20 (7 p.m.).
  
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