MIAMI – The FIU men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point deficit to deadlock the score early in the second half before falling by a 71-65 margin against Middle Tennessee State on Thursday night at Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
 
The Panthers never trailed by more than six over the opening 10 minutes of the second half, before Middle Tennessee put together a 12-0 run to stretch the lead to 60-47 with just under seven minutes left in regulation.
 
The loss drops FIU's overall record to 14-12 overall and 5-9 in C-USA action.  Middle Tennessee moves to 18-7 on the season and 9-3 in the conference loop.
 
FIU shot a solid 56.0 percent in the opening half (14-of-25) and finished the contest at 47.9 percent from the field.  The Panthers made 9-of-27 attempts from beyond the arc. 
 
The Blue Raiders were led by Josh Jefferson (15) and Eli Lawrence, who were the only two MTSU players to post double-figure scoring totals.  DeAndre Dishman tabbed nine points and 10 rebounds in the win.
 
Junior Tevin Brewer paced the Panthers with a game-high 17 points and nine assists.  Isaiah Banks and Denver Jones each added 11 and Petar Krivokapic posted 10.
 
UP NEXT:  The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 19 in a 7 p.m. ET tip at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center vs. Rice.
 
The game will be televised live 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
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.