MIAMI — FIU's men's basketball team, fresh off its first home win of the season, welcomes cross-coast opponent FGCU on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
The Panthers led wire-to-wire in a 91-84 defeat of Kennesaw State on Sunday evening in their first of a stretch of 6-of-7 games at home. FIU now hosts FGCU and is looking to regain the bragging rights in this matchup following a 74-65 defeat in Fort Myers on Dec. 12, 2022.
FIU will get a chance to show its pizazz in the spotlight as the game will be aired nationally on CBS Sports Network. Javaunte Hawkins started and scored 22 points in FIU's last game, matching a career-high.
Arturo Dean is the current national-leader in steals and ranks second in steals per game, showing his ability to contribute on both ends of the floor. As a team, the Panthers' high-pressure style had led to them being ranked third in the nation in steals per game and sixth in turnovers forced.
SCOUTING FGCU
The Eagles have lost five straight and will enter this matchup against an in-state rival with added motivation after a slow start to the season.
FGCU is led offensively by Zach Anderson, whom has averaged 13.3 ppg thus far. Anderson is very effective from the three-point line, shooting 43.5 percent on 23 attempts.
Isaiah Thompson and Keeshawn Kellman are also averaging double-digit point outputs for the Eagles.
FGCU's Starting Five: Johnston, Anderson, Johnson, Kellman, Miller, Jr.
