MIAMI, Fla. – Five Panthers finished in double figures on Saturday night, though, a costly second-half performance that saw FIU shoot just 31 percent in the frame, paired with turnovers, ultimately allowed Bryant to come away with a 91-85 victory inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Sophomore guard
Denver Jones led the way for FIU with 22 points, followed by freshman guard
Dashon Gittens with a career-high 16 points.
FIU slips to 2-2 overall, while Bryant moves to 4-1 on the season.
The Panthers finished the contest shooting 46 percent (29-of-63) and connecting on a season-best 11-of-39 (39.3%) from beyond the arc, though, just finishing 16-of-23 at the free-throw line for the night (69.6%).
The Bulldogs rallied in the second half behind 21 points off 18 FIU turnovers for the contest, in addition to hurting the Panthers in transition with 27 fast break points.
Bryant finished with the rebounding edge for the contest, 42-36, while producing 12 second-chance points throughout the night that aided the Bulldogs' second half efforts.
The Panthers led the contest for 32:07 prior to squandering the lead late, seeing Bryant lead for just 5:43 en route to the late comeback.
Jones connected on a career-high 9-of-17 from the floor, while grabbing a season-best and team-high six rebounds and matching a career-best four steals defensively to pair with two assists. Gittens finished 5-of-10 from the field, including two 3-pointers, en route to the career night, while also notching career-highs with four rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes.
Freshman guard
Arturo Dean added 14 points, a career-high five assists, four rebounds and two steals, while junior guard
Javaunte Hawkins also poured in 14 points behind 3-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc (42.8%) and a career-best 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Hawkins also added three assists and two steals.
Junior center
Seth Pinkney rounded out the Panthers in double figures with a season-high 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Gradaute forward
Nick Guadarrama contributed four points, season-high five assists and three rebounds in 23 minutes.
The Panthers led 18-10 early on after a Gittens and-one lay sparked a brief run that saw back-to-back 3-pointers from
Denver Jones and
John Williams Jr. extend the margin by the 13:07 mark. Bryant climbed back within one possession, 19-16, prior to FIU rallying for 12 of the ensuing 17 points to bust its largest lead of the night at 32-21 with 10:17 left in the half.
Williams Jr. dimed
Seth Pinkney in the lane for a two-hand slam to spark the run, as
Javaunte Hawkins and
Nick Guadarrama went back-to-back from three (27-18) prior to a Jones pull-up and
Arturo Dean step-back three producing the 11-point lead.
Both squads exchanged baskets for the duration of the half, seeing Jones and Gittens keep the Bulldogs at arm's length with 12 and seven first-half points, respectively, as a Dean steal, dunk and free throw pushed a 10-point lead, 51-41, prior to Bryant free throws sending both teams to the locker room at the intermission with FIU leading 51-43.
Out of the break, Bryant responded bringing the game within one possession by the 15:17 mark, 55-53. An
Arturo Dean floater ensued while Jones and Hawkins buried consecutive 3-pointers to extend an eight-point cushion at 65-57 (11:16). Bryant kept its persistent attack through the frame, coming within one point on three separate occasions prior to a Gittens three and pair of
Denver Jones free throws producing a 75-71 margin.
From there would be the turning point, seeing the Bulldogs rattle off a 9-0 run to seesaw the lead into their favor, 80-75, at a FIU timeout by the 4:27 mark. FIU would knot the margin three times, seeing the spread tied at 82-82 with 1:49 to play, though, Bryant would hit a critical 3-pointer en route to rattling off seven points to hold an 89-82 advantage with 32 second remaining. A trio of free throws from Hawkins on a fouled 3-point attempt brought the game within four (89-85) with 11 seconds remaining, however, Bryant would hold on at the line to come away with 91-85 victory at the horn.
The Bulldogs had four finish in doubles figures, led by Antwan Walker with 18 points and seven rebounds, followed by Charles Pride and Earl Timberlake with 15 points apiece. Sherif Gross-Bullock finished with 12 points.
Postgame Press Conference - Head coach Jeremy Ballard, Denver Jones and Dashon Gittens:
UP NEXT
The Panthers host the FIU MTE next week, welcoming visiting Stony Brook and Eastern Washington to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Nov. 23-27. The Panthers open against Stony Brook on Wednesday, Nov. 23, for a 7 p.m. matchup prior to facing Eastern Washington on Sunday, Nov. 27, for a 7 p.m. tip inside the OBCC.
Stony Brook and Eastern Washington will meet for a neutral site contest inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Friday, Nov. 25, for a 5:30 p.m. tilt.
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