Game Details
FIU 69, North Texas 59
FIU (16-11, 7-7 C-USA), North Texas (20-7, 8-6 C-USA)
Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019 | 2 p.m.  
Miami, Florida | Ocean Bank Convocation Center
 
The Basics
- Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California) and Antonio Daye, Jr. (Durham, North Carolina) scored 22 and 20 points, respectively, and Devon Andrews (Lorain, Ohio) added 15 points, as the FIU men's basketball team handed North Texas a 69-59 loss at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. The win marks the Panthers' first back-to-back wins since winning four-straight in November. FIU improves to 16-11 on the year and 7-7 in Conference USA, while the Mean Green drop to 20-7 overall and 8-6 in league play.
 
- Beard, Jr. got the Panthers off to a blistering start in the first half scoring 20 points in the first 20 minutes of play, as FIU shot an impressive 60.9 percent (14-for-23) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from behind the three-point arc. Beard, Jr., who was 7-for-9 from the floor in the first stanza, and 6-for-8 from three-point range, also saw his backcourt mate, Daye, Jr., score double-digits in the first half with 12 points, as the Panthers took a 45-34 lead into the locker room at the break. The Panthers led by as many as 15 points in the second half, however, the Mean Green fought back to cut the lead to four points, 49-45, with 14:52 left in the contest, but that was as close as North Texas would get.
 
-  FIU finished the game shooting 47.8 percent (22-for-46) from the field and, for the second-straight game, was nearly automatic from the free-throw line, hitting 80.0 percent (12-of-15) of its shots from the charity stripe. The Panthers came into the game off a 90 percent performance from the free-throw line against Rice on Thursday night.  
 
- Osasumwen Osaghae (Miami, Florida) paced the way on the glass for FIU with a game-high tying seven rebounds to go along with five blocked shots.  
 
Notable
- Today's starters for FIU were: G, Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California); G, Antonio Daye, Jr. (Durham, North Carolina); F, Devon Andrews (Lorain, Ohio); F, Michael Douglas (Sachse, Texas) and C, Elhadji Dieng (Mbour, Senegal) … FIU is 1-0 with this lineup on the year.

- FIU's 12 turnovers forced today, against North Texas, gives them 553 turnovers forced on the season … It is just the fourth time in program history that the Panthers have recorded better than 550 turnovers forced in a season, joining the 1997-98 (580), 2012-13 (569) and 1996-97 (555) teams.

- Brian Beard, Jr.'s 22 points marks his 50^th career double figure scoring game, and his 19^th career game of 20 points-or-more … Through Saturday's game against North Texas, Beard, Jr. has recorded 979 career points which is ninth on FIU's all-time scoring list.

- Beard, Jr.'s two steals against the Mean Green gives him 173 for his career … On Saturday, he surpassed Dwight Stewart for third place (172, 1988-91) on FIU's career steals list … He is currently four steals from tying – and five from surpassing – Carlos Arroyo (177, 1997-01) for second all-time in school history.

- In addition, Beard, Jr.'s five assists gives him 346 for his FIU career – in just 58 career games … He sits second on the Panthers' all-time assist list behind Carlos Arroyo (459, 1997-01).  

- Through today's game with North Texas, Osasumwen Osaghae has 105 career blocked shots, good enough for third all-time in school history.

- Devon Andrews' 15 points marks his 21^st double-figure outing of the.

- This afternoon, Michael Douglas (Sachse, Texas) tied Karel Rosario (1997-01) for fifth place on FIU's career games played list having played in his 112^th career game with the Panthers … He earned his first start of the season and the eighth of his career. 

Up Next
The Panthers will learn their Bonus Play opponents on Saturday night following the day's games ... FIU will play on four of the following five dates, Feb. 23, 28, and March 3, 6, 9, with two games being played at home and two on the road.

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