:GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — FIU's men's basketball program will take on Akron in its opening game of the Cayman Islands Classic on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Panthers (1-3) are fresh off their first victory of the 2023-24 season, defeating Houston Christian 83-74 on the road on Wednesday evening.
The backcourt combination of Arturo Dean and Dashon Gittens combined for 38 points. Dean had 20 points, adding two rebounds and six assists. Gittens filled up the stat sheet with a game-high 20 points on 4-for-6 shooting from deep, chipping in eight rebounds and five assists.
FIU continues a busy stretch with a total of five games in eight days. The Panthers will look to build on a highly-competitive performance at No. 12 Miami followed by their win over HCU.
The winner of the FIU-Akron matchup will advance in the winner's bracket to play the winner of Marshall and Utah State. The Panthers are guaranteed three games in the Cayman Islands, of which will take place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
SCOUTING AKRON
The Zips enter this matchup with a 3-0 record, defeating South Dakota State on the road before garnering home wins against Southern Mississippi and Heidelberg.
Akron's offense is led by Mikel Dawson, who is averaging 17.3 ppg and shooting 48.1 percent from deep with 13 made threes. The Zips featured a balanced attack around Dawson with three other players averaging double-digits.
