EL PASO, Texas – FIU men's basketball senior
Eric Lovett tabbed 19 points and drilled four three pointers and junior
Tevin Brewer added 11 in a 79-68 loss at UTEP on Saturday night in El Paso.
The Panthers, who led by as many as nine points in the loss, committed 17 turnovers – 11 of which came in a second half that saw the Miners outscore FIU 43-30 and turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 11-point victory.
UTEP posted 17 points on the Panthers 17 miscues and capitalized at the free throw line as it connected on 18-of-24 opportunities.
Souley Boum paced the Miners in the win with a 32-point performance that saw him hot 11-of-16 shots overall from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc.
The Panthers led by eight as late as the 15:09 mark of the second half following a trey by Brewer that put FIU up 48-40.
The Miners scored the next nine points to claim the lead at 49 -48 with 12:38 left. Lovett put the Panthers back in front by a 53-51 margin with a three pointer at 11:23 before UTEP ripped off a 10-0 run to claim the lead for good.
The Panthers shot 43.9 percent from the field in the loss and 35 percent from beyond the arc. UTEP made 46.4 percent of its attempts and 9-of-22 from deep.
The loss drops FIU's overall record to 12-9 and 2-6 in Conference USA action. UTEP moves to 13-8 and 6-3 in league play.
UP NEXT: FIU will begin a stretch of three games in five days at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Thursday, Feb. 3 vs. Southern Mississippi in a 7 p.m. tip.
The Panthers will follow that with a game against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Feb. 5 (7 p.m.) and a clash with Charlotte on Monday, Feb. 7 in a 5 p.m. start.
TICKETS
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