ATHENS, Ohio – FIU returns to the hardwood for its final non-conference game of the season, on Dec. 30, when the Panthers take to the court to face Ohio University. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday's game is the first of a three-game road stretch for the Panthers.

FIU comes into the game looking for its seventh win in its last nine games. The Panthers boast a 9-3 record, their best 12-game start in program history.

GAME 13: FIU AT OHIO UNIVERSITY
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 | 2 p.m. | Ohio University Convocation Center | Athens, Ohio

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FIU PANTHERS | 9-3
Last Game: Dec. 20 vs. Florida Memorial, W, 108-67
Next Game: Jan. 3 at Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. ET
Head Coach: Jeremy Ballard
Alma Mater: Colgate, 2003
Career Record: 9-3 (First season)
at FIU: Same

OHIO BOBCATS | 7-4
Last Game: Dec. at Purdue, L, 95-67
Next Game: Jan. 5 vs. Northern Illinois, 2 p.m.
Head Coach: Saul Phillips
Alma Mater: Wisconsin-Platteville, 1996
Career Record: 214-151 (12th season)
at Ohio: 80-67 (Fifth season)

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: None
Radio: Ohio IMG Sports Network/OhioBobcats.com
Russ Eisenstein (Play-by-play)
Rob Cornelius (Analyst)
Live Stats: FIUSports.com
Series: FIU leads series 1-0
Twitter Updates: @FIUHoops
Tickets: Ohio Athletics Ticket Office 800-575-2287

QUICK HITS
- FIU's 9-3 start marks its best 12-game start in the program's history, surpassing the Panthers' 8-4 beginning, three times (2013-14, 1997-98, 1984-85).
- FIU is averaging 98.7 points-per-game at home.

- FIU comes into the Ohio game following a 108-67 win over Florida Memorial on Dec. 20 in its final non-conference home game of the season ... Willy Nunez, Jr. led six players in double figures with a career-high 22 points.

- Through Dec. 28, Brian Beard, Jr. in second in Division I in steals-per-game (3.4) and total steals (41) and 34th in scoring (20.6), while the Panthers as a team are second in the nation in scoring (95.6 ppg).

LAST TIME OUT
- FIU gave themselves a present going into Christmas break, coming at the expense of Florida Memorial University, dominating its opponents with a 108-67 win in back of a career-high 22 points from Willy Nunez, Jr.

- The Panthers jumped out to a commanding lead early on in the first half, taking a 46-23 lead into the locker room at the break, in back of 11 points from Nunez, Jr ... FIU came out in the second half and didn't let up pushing its lead to as many as 44 points, 105-62, on a three-pointer by Devon Andrews with 2:50 left.

- FIU shot 50.7 percent (37-for-73) from the field on the night, including 61.5 percent (24-for-39) in the second half.

- Nunez, Jr. led six players in double figures with his career-high 22 points ... Brian Beard, Jr. netted 17 points, while Trejon Jacob, Isaiah Banks and Marcus Burwell all added 10 points in the win ... Osasumwen Osaghae grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

SCOUTING OHIO
- Ohio comes into its game with FIU with a 7-4 record following its 95-67 loss at Purdue on Dec. 20 ... The Bobcats have won two of their last three, and three of its last five games.

- Ohio and FIU have two common opponents on their schedules in USF and Marshall ... The Bobcats lost to USF, 73-46, on Nov. 16 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, while the Panthers dropped an 82-73 decision to the Bulls in Miami ... Ohio defeated the Thundering Herd, 101-84, on Dec. 1, in Athens, Ohio ... FIU will face Marshall on Jan. 19, in Huntington, West Virginia.

- Jason Carter leads three Ohio players in double figures, averaging 17.9 points-per-game, followed by Teyvion Kirk and Ben Vander Plos who are averaging 15.7 and 11.4 points-per-game, respectively ... Doug Taylor leads the Bobcats on the glass, averaging 8.6 rebounds-per-contest.

THE SERIES AGAINST THE BOBCATS
- FIU holds a slight 1-0 series advantage against Ohio, with the only meeting taking place 14 years and two days ago, on Dec. 28, 2004, in Miami, in overtime.

DROPPIN' SOME' C-NOTES
- FIU's 117 points against Johnson & Wales marked the second-straight game that the Panthers reached the century mark … The Panthers scored 110 points in the season-opening 110-84 win over Webber International on Nov. 7 … Prior to this season, the last time that an FIU team hit the 100-point mark in regulation was on Feb. 26, 1998, pouring in 101 points against Centenary in a 101-74 win in the TAAC Tournament ... That was the second of two-straight games where the Panthers scored 100-or-more points ... FIU also did it five days before in a 117-79 win over Troy on Feb. 21, 1998.

- FIU logged its third 100-plus-point game when it scored 102 points in a 102-93 win over Youngstown State on Nov. 18, and accomplished the feat in its next outing, against Ave Maria on Nov. 23, in a 104-84 win in the Johnny Bach Classic at Fordham.

- The Panthers hit the 100-point plateau on Dec. 13, with a 102-89 win against North Florida, and most recently poured in 108 points in a 108-67 win over Florida Memorial on Dec. 20.

- The Panthers' six 100-point games are tied for the second most in a season in school history, joining the 1982-83 team ... The most 100-point outings in a season for FIU came during the 1997-98 campaign with seven.

UP NEXT FOR FIU
Following its meeting with Ohio, FIU will begin Conference USA play at Middle Tennessee on Jan. 3,  at 7:30 p.m.) before heading to Birmingham, Alabama to face  UAB on Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. ... FIU returns home on Thursday, Jan. 10, when it faces Charlotte in the first game of a two-game C-USA weekend homestand, along with Old Dominion on Jan. 12 ... Both games are at 7 p.m.

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