Game Details
WKU 83, FIU 76  
FIU (11-15, 5-8 C-USA), WKU (18-7, 10-2 C-USA)
Bowling Green, Kentucky | E.A. Diddle Arena
 
The Basics
- The FIU men's basketball came into Saturday's game against Western Kentucky looking to pick up a split in its two-game Conference USA weekend road trip, however at the end of the night, the Panthers found themselves on the short end of an 83-76 loss to the Hilltoppers in front of a sellout crowd of 6,429 at the E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The setback drops FIU to 11-15 on the year and 5-8 in C-USA. WKU, which came into the game in a tie for second in the C-USA standings, improves to 18-7 overall and 10-2 in league play.
 
- Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina) led the Panthers with 22 points, Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California) had 16 points, and Hassan Hussein (Lorton, Virginia) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11. Eric Lockett (Warner Robins, Georgia) had a team-high six rebounds and a team and career-high 10 assists.
 
- In a game that didn't see a lead larger than six points by either team in the first 29 minutes, WKU used a 7-0 run to take its biggest advantage of the contest, 59-49, with 10:01 left in the game. The Panthers, however, battled back, cutting the Hilltoppers' lead to three, 64-61, on a three-point shot by Jacob with 5:43 left. WKU seemingly regained control of the contest, scoring the next six points to push the home team's lead back to nine points, but FIU looked like it had one last comeback left in them. Michael Douglas (Sachse, Texas) and Josh Stamps (Chicago, Illinois) each netted four points during an 8-1 run that cut the lead to two, 71-69, with 2:11 left. That was as close as the Panthers got the rest of the night.
 
- FIU found its stroke in the first half, shooting 53.8 percent from the field, including 50.0 percent from behind the three-point arc, and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line. The Panthers ended the game hitting 47.6 percent (30-for-63) from the floor and the same 80.0 percent (8-for-10) from the charity stripe. FIU fell to 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from behind the three-point line in the loss.
   
Stat of the Game
Despite the seven-point loss to the Hilltoppers, the Panthers played WKU pretty much even in the specialty stats on the night. WKU led in points in the paint, but only slightly, 44-42. The Hilltoppers also had an 18-13 advantage in points off turnovers. With FIU outrebounding WKU on the offensive glass, 8-4, the Panthers had a 5-4 edge in second chance points, and the bench scoring was all even at 17 points apiece.
 
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 F Osasumwen Osaghae (Miami, Florida/Robert Morgan Senior {Southridge}) … The Panthers are 0-1 with this starting five.

- FIU's loss to WKU drops its all-time record to 7-34.

- G Brian Beard, Jr.'s 16 points mark his 24th double-figure scoring performance of the season and his 24th-straight.

- G Trejon Jacob netted double-figures for the 21st time this season with his team-high 22 points.

- Osasumwen Osaghae (Miami, Florida/Robert Morgan Senior {Southridge} earned his first career start tonight for the Panthers … Osaghae finished the game with six points on 3-for-3 shooting.

- G Eric Lockett's career-high 10 assists surpass his old mark of seven set twice, previously, with the last time coming on Dec. 2, 2017, against South Alabama. 

 Up Next
The Panthers close out their three-game road stretch on Feb. 17, when they take on C-USA rival Florida Atlantic at 2 p.m. in Boca Raton.

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