Game Details
FIU 104, Ave Maria 84
FIU (6-1), Ave Maria (6-3)
Friday, Nov. 23, 2018 | 5 p.m.
Miami, Florida | Ocean Bank Convocation Center
 
The Basics
- The FIU men's basketball team won its third-straight game, and improved to 6-1 on the year for the first time since the 1983-84 season, as the Panthers pulled away for a 104-84 win over Ave Maria at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center Saturday night. The loss drops the Gyrenes to 6-3 on the year.
 
- FIU's victory extends its home winning streak at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center to nine games, dating back to its 67-64 win over Rice on Feb. 24, 2018.
 
- Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina) led four players in double figures in the scoring column, netting a season and game-high 21 points, while Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California) added 18 points and a game-high six assists in the win. Willy Nunez, Jr. (Orlando, Florida) and Antonio Daye, Jr. (Durham, North Carolina) each added 16 points, with Daye, Jr. marking a career-high. Marcus Burwell (Richmond, Virginia) grabbed a career-best six rebounds to go along with five assists.
 
- The Gyrenes kept the game interesting for the first half leading by as many as five points, 10-5, early on, however the Panthers came back to take a 53- 48 lead into the locker room at the half. FIU jumped on Ave Maria quickly to start the second stanza by using a 10-0 run to take its biggest lead of the contest, to that point, 63-48, on a rebound layup by Elhadji Dieng (Mbour, Senegal) with 17:40 left in the game. The Panthers then extended that stretch to a 34-17 run to take an 87-65 lead on a Nunez, Jr. three-point shot with 10:01 remaining, From that point on, FIU never looked back.  
 
- FIU shot 50.7 percent (38-for-75) from the field on the night, marking its fourth game this season hitting 50 percent or better from the floor. The Panthers also shot 70.4 percent (19-for-27) from the free-throw line, their second-straight game of over 70 percent from the charity stripe, including an impressive 78.6 percent (11-for-14) clip in the second half.
 
- FIU's 104 points marks the fourth game this season that the Panthers have hit the century mark, the third most in a season in school history.
 
Stat of the Game
FIU forced the Gyrenes into 32 turnovers, which led to 43 points for the Panthers, the most miscues by an opponent since North Florida turned the ball over 31 times on Nov. 29, 2003, in an 81-72 FIU win.
 
Notable
- Tonight's starters for FIU were: G Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina); G Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California); G Marcus Burwell (Richmond, Virginia); F, Willy Nunez, Jr. (Orlando, Florida); and C Elhadji Dieng (Mbour, Senegal) … FIU is 2-0 with this lineup on the year.

- FIU's win over Ave Maria improves its record against the Gyrenes to 2-0, all-time.

- Brian Beard, Jr.'s 21 points marks his 35^th career double figure scoring game, and his 13^th-career 20-point effort.

- Beard. Jr.'s six assists marks his 28^th game of his FIU career dishing out five or more, and his 10^th-straight dating back to last year.

- Willy Nunez, Jr.'s 16 points marks his eighth double-figure scoring performance in 13 career games for the Panthers.

- Trejon Jacob's 21 points marks his third double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 27^th of his FIU career ... In addition, it was his sixth career game of 20-or-more points.

- FIU walk on James Ametepe recorded a career-high of eight points in nine minutes for the Panthers … A native of Ghana, Ametepe also had a career-high five rebounds and a career-best one steal.

Up Next
FIU hits the road for its next two-straight games, beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m., when it heads across Alligator Alley to face Florida Gulf Coast in Ft. Myers. The Panthers will close out the short two-game stretch on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Arkansas. Tipoff against the Razorbacks is slated for 8 p.m. ET.
 
FIU returns home on Dec. 13, for three-consecutive game at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, beginning with North Florida at 7 p.m.
 
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