STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Nov. 5, 2019) – FIU men's basketball took on Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum in the team's season opener on Tuesday night. The Panthers dropped the game to the Bulldogs 77-69.

With the loss, FIU falls to 0-1. MSU improves to 1-0 on the young season. 

In the first half, the Panthers shot 42.9% from the field but only 23.1% from behind the arc as FIU entered the locker room down 40-30. FIU held a lead over MSU for nearly 12 minutes in the half, but allowed an 8-0 run to fall behind 26-25 with 4:36 remaining and did not score the final 2:08 to trail at the break. 

Coming out of the locker room, the squad showed improvement as the Panthers outscored the Bulldogs 39-37 and shot 50.0% from the field. Despite the valiant effort against MSU on the road, the Panthers couldn't overcome the first-half deficit as the Panthers fell 77-69. 

Individually, Devon Andrews led FIU with 16 points and was followed closely by Trejon Jacob, who tallied 13 points in the loss. Eric Lovett scored 11 points off the bench and was 3-for-6 from three. 

Defensively, Osasumwen Osaghae added three blocks to his career total, as he is only 60 shy of breaking the school record. The big man also added three steals and finished with 10 points. 

UP NEXT
The Panthers home opener is set for Friday, Nov. 8, against Ave Maria. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET following the FIU volleyball match. For those interested in purchasing tickets, click here.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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