YPSILANTI, Mich. – The FIU men's basketball team fought until the bitter end before coming up just short in an epic four-overtime battle at Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon by a 92-88 margin.
 
The loss snaps the Panthers eight-game winning streak and marks their first defeat since a season-opening setback at Georgia on Nov. 9.  FIU now sits at 8-2 overall on the season.
 
Eastern Michigan (5-5) outscored the Panthers 10-6 in the fourth and final overtime to seal the win after the two teams played even through the first 15 extra minutes. 
 
FIU led the contest by as many as 13 at 54-41 with 7:20 left in the second half before a 14-1 push by the Eagles erased the advantage.  EMU scored the final seven points of regulation to knot the score at 55-55 and send it into extra time.
 
FIU freshman Denver Jones came up clutch in the opening overtime with a three-pointer that tied the game at 62-62 with 40 seconds left to force a second extra frame.
 
Jones pushed it into a third overtime by connecting on a pair of clutch free throws with 15 seconds left in the second overtime to even the score at 72-72.  
 
He also made a layup just five seconds after teammate Petar  Krivokapic drilled a trey to cap a 5-0 run in the final seconds of the third overtime period to tie the contest once again at 82-82.
 
Jones, who finished with a season-best 20 points and added 13 rebounds for his first career double-double was joined among the offensive leaders by Javaunte Hawkins – who tabbed a team-high 22 points in 42 minutes.  The 22 points also marked a career-best scoring effort for Hawkins.
 
Clevon Brown (16) and Tevin Brewer (12) rounded out the Panthers' double-figure scorers.
 
Eastern Michigan was led by Noah Farrakhan- who registered a game-high 27 points.
 
The Panthers shot 35.8 percent (34-of-95) from the floor, while the Eagles posted a 38 percent (30-of-79) clip.
 
The FIU defense forced 22 EMU turnovers and turned them into 28 points.  The Panthers bench also outscored the Eagles 50-23.
 
The four-overtime contest marked the longest for FIU in program history since it won a five-overtime decision against Arkansas-Little Rock on Jan. 30, 2005, by a margin of 118-114.
 
UP NEXT
FIU will close out the current two-game roadswing on Wednesday, Dec. 15 with a 7 p.m. ET tip at Jacksonville State.
 
Wednesday's meeting with the Gamecocks will be televised live on ESPN+.
 
 
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.