MIAMI – Sophomore Javaunte Hawkins and senior Eric Lovett each connected on clutch three pointers over the final 56 seconds of regulation to hold off a late surge by Western Kentucky and lift the FIU men's basketball team to an 86-83 victory on Saturday night before the largest crowd of the season at Ocean Bank Arena.
 
The Panthers did not trail in the contest until there was just 2:05 left in regulation when a three pointer by Western Kentucky's Jarius Hamilton put the Hilltoppers ahead for the first time at 79-78.
 
A pair of free throws by Lovett put FIU back in front 80-79, before a layup from WKU's Dayvion McKnight flipped the score back to a one-point advantage for the Hilltoppers with 1:16 left.
 
Hawkins drilled the first of two key treys for the Panthers with 56 seconds remaining to put the Panthers up 83-81.  McKnight hit a pair of free throws to deadlock the score once again at 83-83. 
 
Lovett then drilled a long ball from the left corner to with 12 ticks left to put FIU up for good at 86-83.  The Panthers forced a missed three-point attempt by Hamilton in the final seconds to seal the win.
 
The Panthers dominated play for the duration of the contest with hot shooting and dominating the glass.  FIU shot 48.4 percent from the floor, which included a solid 45.7 clip (16-of-35) from three-point range.  The Panthers won the rebounding battle 39-26 and pulled down 14 offensive boards in the win.
 
FIU's depth once again played a role in the victory as the Panthers' bench outperformed the Hilltoppers' by a 38-29 margin – including nine from Hawkins and 16 from Denver Jones.
 
Junior Tevin Brewer recorded a team-high 23 points while adding eight assists.  Brewer has notched double-figure scoring efforts in 16 of 19 games this season and has posted five games with at least 20 points. 
 
Lovett finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. 
 
Western Kentucky was led in defeat by Josh Anderson, who tabbed 23 points while shooting 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.  McKnight added 19 points and six assists.
 
The win, which marked the Panthers' second straight, improved their overall record to 12-7 and 2-4 in Conference USA action.  FIU also improved its record on its home floor to 9-1.  Western Kentucky slips to 10-9 overall and 2-4 in league action.
 
UP NEXT
FIU returns to the road for a two-game C-USA swing that will see it face UTSA on Thursday, Jan. 27 in an 8 p.m. ET start before heading to UTEP for a showdown on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. ET.
 
Thursday's Panthers-Roadrunners clash will be aired live on ESPN+.
 
Saturday's game at UTEP will air 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.