Game Details
FIU 69, North Texas 68  
FIU (12-16, 6-9 C-USA), North Texas (14-14, 7-8 C-USA)
Miami, Florida | Ocean Bank Convocation Center
 
The Basics
- The FIU men's basketball team, once again, bent but did not break on Thursday night as the Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak with a thrilling 69-68 win over North Texas at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Eric Lockett (Warner Robins, Georgia) hit the front-end of a one-and-one with 4.8 seconds left to put FIU on top for good. The Mean Green's Ryan Woolridge's lay-up as time expired rattled around the rim and fell out. The Panthers improve to 12-16 on the year and 6-9 in Conference USA, while North Texas evens out at 14-14, and is 7-8 in league play. In addition, FIU has now won four-straight home conference games for the first time since joining C-USA, and the the first time since accomplishing the feat during the 2012-13 campaign while a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
 
- The Panthers led by as many as 11 points in the first half and by 13 points, with 11:26 left in the game, however North Texas did not go away. With FIU leading by eight points, 66-58, with 6:17 left in the contest, the Mean Green put together a 9-0 run in less than two minutes to take its final lead of the contest, 67-66, on a Roosevelt Smart trey with 3:48 left. The final minutes of the game were not pretty as the two teams combined for just four points the rest of the way, and the only field goal scored was by Lockett with 2:51 left in the game, for two of the three points he scored for the Panthers down the stretch en route to the win.   
 
- FIU placed four players in double figures on the night, with Michael Douglas (Sachse, Texas) and Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina) each netting 14 points apiece. Lockett added 13 points and Osasumwen Osaghae (Miami, Florida/Robert Morgan {Southridge}) tying his career-high with 10 points. Jacob and Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California) led FIU with eight rebounds apiece.  
 
- The Panthers shot 49.4 percent (27-for-55) from the field on the night, however just 42.9 percent from both three-point range (9-for-21) and the free-throw line (6-for-14).
   
Turning Point
After North Texas used a 9-0 run to take a 67-66 lead with 3:48 left in the game, the Panthers' defense held the Mean Green to an 0-for-7 clip from the field the rest of the way, including going 0-for-3 from behind the three-point arc.
 
Stat of the Game
North Texas's Roosevelt Smart came into the game fourth in Conference USA in scoring, averaging 19.6 points-per-game. However on Thursday night against FIU, Smart was held in check scoring just nine points and shooting 3-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-10 from three-point range in the North Texas loss.
 
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 Michael Douglas (Sachse, Texas), and F Jay Harvey (Chicago, Illinois) … The Panthers are 1-0 with this starting five.
 
- FIU's win over North Texas improves its record in the all-time series to 6-16, and is its second win in the last three games.
 
- With his 13 points, G Eric Lockett has scored double-figures in 25 games during his career with FIU, and in 23 of the last 31 games dating back to last season.
 
- G Brian Beard, Jr. found himself scoring single digits – eight points – for just the second time this season, and the first time since netting a five-point effort against Florida Memorial in the season-opener on Nov. 10 … Beard, Jr. had scored in double-digits in 25-straight games coming into tonight.
 
- Despite struggling with his shooting touch on the night, Beard, Jr. tied his career-high with eight rebounds, originally set on Dec. 30, 2017 against Florida Atlantic, and handed out eight assists.
 
- G Trejon Jacob netted double-figures for the 22^nd time this season with his 14 points.
 
- F Michael Douglas earned his first start of the season and the third of his career … Douglas finished the game with 14 points, marking his eighth double-figure scoring outing of the season – and the 10th of his career. In addition, it is his seventh game netting 10-or-more points in the last 14 games.
 
Up Next
Following Thursday's game, FIU will close out the home portion of its 2017-18 season when it hosts Rice on Saturday, March 24, at 7 p.m. The Panthers conclude the regular season with two games on the road, at Charlotte on Feb. 1 (7:30 p.m.), and Old Dominion on Feb. 3 (7 p.m.).

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