MIAMI, Fla. – The FIU men's basketball team held on to edge Florida College for a 69-64 victory inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Thursday evening to notch their sixth home victory of the year. Four Panthers finished in double figures, led by Petar Krivokapic and Dashon Gittens with 15 points apiece, as FIU evens its record at 6-6 to conclude nonconference action.
 
The Panthers led for 39:26 of Thursday's contest, extending leads as large as 16 points, though, the Falcons would close in within one possession late with 1:13 remaining to make it a game despite the result.
 
FIU finished the contest 48.1 percent from the floor overall (26-of-54), though, shooting just 21.7 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-23) and 60.0 percent from the free-throw line (12-for-20).
 
The Panthers dominated the paint, 36-22, and exceled in transition with 15 fast break points to Florida College's seven, though, the Falcons managed to capitalize on 16 FIU turnovers for 17 points in return to hang with the Panthers throughout the contest.
 
The Panthers held a 31-27 first-half lead, though, Florida College would hit 11-of-24 shots over the final frame (45.8%), including 40 percent of its 3-point looks (4-of-10), to make for a close contest with a 38-37 second-half margin.
 
Overall, FIU held the Falcons to 36.2 percent shooting on the night (21-of-58) and 29.6 percent from 3-point range (8-of-27). The Falcons edged FIU on the glass, 37-35, while corralling 13 second chance points throughout the night.
 
Krivokapic tallied season-highs with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and six rebounds in his first career start, while Gittens added 15 points for his sixth double-figure performance through his rookie campaign in addition to two assists and a steal.
 
Arturo Dean recorded 13 points for his eighth double-figure performance, while matching a season-high six rebounds to pair with four assists, as junior Javaunte Hawkins added 10 points, three assists and three steals to round out FIU's double-figure scorers.
 
Dante Wilcox chipped in a season-high six points and two rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench, as graduate forward Nick Guadarrama added four points, a team-high seven rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes.
 
UP NEXT
FIU travels to face Conference USA foe North Texas in Denton, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 31. The matchup is slated for a 4 p.m. ET tip to be broadcast 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
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General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.