MIAMI – The FIU men's basketball team ran into a hot shooting Old Dominion squad as it was defeated in the Conference USA opener by an 82-77 margin on Thursday evening at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
 
The loss marked the first for the Panthers on their home floor after opening the season with five consecutive wins.  FIU now sits at 8-4 overall and 0-1 in Conference USA action.  Old Dominion moves to 6-8 and 1-0 in league play.
 
Old Dominion opened an early lead and led for the majority of the contest but was unable to pull away until past the midpoint of the second half when it opened its largest lead of the game at 74-59 with 7:34 left in regulation.
 
The Panthers made a frantic push over the final seven minutes which saw them narrow the deficit to five before time expired.  FIU outscored the Monarchs 18-8 over the final 7 minutes.
 
Hot shooting paced Old Dominion to the victory as it connected on 57.9 percent (33-of-57) of its attempts from the field.  The Monarchs also controlled play inside as it led the points in the paint battle 44-22.
 
FIU shot the ball well in the first half as it made 53.3 percent of its attempts, before cooling off in the second half for a 32.4 percent clip.  The Panthers dropped in 14 three pointers – their second-highest total of the season.
 
ODU's Austin Trice led all players with 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting, while adding nine rebounds and four assists.
 
FIU was led by a trio of players who finished with double-figure scoring totals.  Denver Jones and Tevin Brewer each recorded a team-high 17 points.  Eric Lovett added 16, including a 4-of-8 clip from beyond the arc.
 
 
UP NEXT
FIU will host St. Thomas University (Fla.) in a non-conference clash on Saturday, Jan. 1 in a 2 p.m. ET tip at Ocean Bank Arena.
 
The Panthers-Bobcats clash will be aired live on PantherVision on Conference USA 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.