ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Junior Tevin Brewer scored a career-high 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting as the FIU men's basketball team posted a convincing 73-60 victory over Ball State in its opening game at the Jersey Mike's Classic on Thursday night.
 
The Panthers (2-1) outscored the Cardinals 30-17 over the final 14 minutes - 19-3 over the final 6:05 - to secure the 13-point victory after the teams were deadlocked at 43-43 with 14:22 left in regulation.
 
Brewer also added five assists and four rebounds to his career-best scoring effort – which saw him connect on 5-of-6 three-point attempts and go a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
 
Freshman Denver Jones joined Brewer in double-figures with 14 points.  Jones also added five helpers and four boards and made all six of his free throw attempts.
 
Until the late push by the Panthers, the game was tightly contested and featured a total of 17 lead changes and eight ties.  FIU led for a total of 23:55 of game time – and trailed for only 9:48.
 
For the game, FIU shot 40 percent from the field (22-of-55), including a third straight game with a 33 percent or better clip form beyond the arc 39.0 (12-of-31).  The Panthers also made the most of their trips to the free throw line making 17-of-20 – while Ball State struggled, connecting on only 4-oof-13 attempts.
 
The Cardinals (1-2) were led in defeat by Basheer Jihad, who tabbed a team-high 14 points.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers continue play at the Jersey Mike's Classic in St. Petersburg on Friday, Nov. 19 vs. Green Bay in an 8 p.m. ET tip that will air on Pluto TV.
 
TICKETS
For more information on FIU tickets to FIU basketball home games, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit HERE.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUHoops), Twitter (@FIUHoops), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensBball) for all the latest Men's Basketball news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.