MIAMI, Fla. – The FIU men's basketball team dropped Charlotte for its first Conference USA win and first victory over the 49ers since 2020 on Thursday evening, 62-60, inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Knotted up at 60-60 with under two minutes to play, the Panthers notched the go-ahead bucket while junior center Seth Pinkney recorded a pivotal block with 0:09 on the clock to ultimately seal the win and move FIU to 7-7 and 1-2 in league action.
 
The win snapped a four-game skid against the 49ers, as Charlotte drops to 11-4 and 2-2 in the Conference USA.
 
Sophomore Denver Jones led FIU with a game-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds, marking his third consecutive 20-point performance, in addition to three assists. Freshman Arturo Dean tallied 15 points to pair with two steals, while sophomore forward Mohamed Sanogo recorded nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and five rebounds.
 
Graduate forward Nick Guadarrama added six points, four rebounds and three steals, while Petar Krivokapic pitched in five points and four rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.
 
Thursday's contest featured 13 tied margins, seeing FIU lead for just 13:01 en route to the big win. Prior to the contest, Charlotte held a significant margin over the Panthers in the NET rankings, ranked No. 76 while the Panthers sat at No. 290. 
 
The Panthers finished 47.1 percent from the field (24-of-51) and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line (10-of-12) despite hitting just 4-of-17 from three (23.5%).
 
Despite the 49ers claiming the edge on the glass for the contest, 31-29, FIU dominated the paint with a 36-20 differential on points inside, while also capitalizing on 11 Charlotte turnovers for 14 points in return.
 
FIU held Charlotte to just 38.2 percent shooting overall (21-of-55), while hitting 31.8 percent of its 3-point tries (7-for-22) and 78.6 percent from the stripe (11-of-14). The 49ers had three finish in double figures, led by Aly Khalifa with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
 
UP NEXT
FIU returns to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, hosting UAB on Saturday, Jan. 7, for a 7 p.m. 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
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.