Game Details
FIU 102, North Florida 89
FIU (8-2), North Florida (4-7)
Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018 | 7 p.m.
Miami, Florida | Ocean Bank Convocation Center
 
The Basics
- The FIU men's basketball team got a game-high 29 points from Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California) and a career-high 18 points from Osasumwen Osaghae (Miami, Florida) as the Panthers pulled out a hard-fought 102-89 win over North Florida on Thursday night at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. The win improves FIU to 8-2 on the year, the best 10-game start in school history, while the Ospreys drop to 4-7 overall. The victory also extends the Panthers' home winning streak to 10 games dating back to their 67-64 win against Rice on Feb. 24, 2018.  
 
- Beard, Jr. and Osaghae were two of five players for FIU to score in double figures on the night. The duo was joined by Willy Nunez, Jr. (Orlando, Florida) with 13 points and Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina) and Isaiah Banks (Conyers, Georgia) with 11 and 10 points, respectively in the win.
 
- Beard, Jr. also turned in another solid all-around game, recording a team-high eight rebounds, six assists and four steals to go along with his 29 points.
 
- The Panthers led by one points at the intermission, 50-49, only to have North Florida come out in the second half and use a 10-0 run to take its biggest lead of the game, nine points, 59-50, with 17:29 left in the contest. FIU, however battles back to eventually take the lead for good, 77-76, on a layup by Marcus Burwell (Richmond, Virginia) with 10:25 left in the game. The Ospreys cut the lead to one, 86-85 with 6:29 left, on a three-pointer by JT Escobar, for three of his team-high 28 points – 20 of which came in the first half – however would not get any closer the rest of the way.   
 
- The Panthers shot 49.3 percent (36-for-73) from the field on the night, including a season-high 39.1 percent (9-for-23) from the three-point arc, their best shooting percentage from behind the arc this season. FIU also recorded its best night from the charity stripe, hitting 75.0 percent (21-for-28) from the free-throw line.
 
Notable
- Tonight's starters for FIU were: G Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina); G Brian  Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California); F Devon Andrews (Lorain, Ohio); F, Willy Nunez, Jr. (Orlando, Florida); and C Elhadji Dieng (Mbour, Senegal) … FIU is 2-1 with this lineup on the year.

- FIU's 102 points marks the fifth time this season that it has hit the century mark … It's the third most times in a single season scoring 100 points-or-more, behind only the 1997-98 (seven) and the 1982-83 (six) campaigns.

- Brian Beard, Jr.'s 29 points marks his 38^th career double figure scoring game, and his 16^th-career 20-point effort.

- Beard. Jr.'s four steals on the night gives him 125 for his career moving him into a tie for sixth all-time in school history, joining Mark Hollin (1981-85) … In addition, his six assists gives him 247 for his career, nine shy of tying Patrick McDonald (1982-86) for third all-time in program history.

- Trejon Jacob's 11 points marks his sixth double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 30^th of his FIU career.

- Willy Nunez, Jr.'s 13 points marks his 11^th double-figure scoring performance in 16 career games for the Panthers.

- Isaiah Banks' 10 points was his fifth double-figure effort of the season, and the seventh of his career.

- Osasumwen Osaghae's career-high 18 points surpassed his previous best of 14 points set earlier this season against Youngstown State (Nov. 18).

Up Next
FIU continues its pre-Christmas homestand, on Dec. 18, with the second game of the three-game stretch, as it welcomes USF to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. The Panthers will close out the homestand on Dec. 20 against Florida Memorial. Both games are slated for 7 p.m.

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