MIAMI — FIU's men's basketball program takes on New Mexico State at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Conference USA (CUSA) action on Thursday night.
The Panthers (7-10, 1-3 CUSA) return home to take on the Aggies (10-6, 3-0 CUSA) for a pivotal matchup on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. ET.
Thursday, Jan. 16 vs. New Mexico State
Time/Site: 7 p.m. ET | Ocean Bank Convocation Center
Series History: New Mexico State leads 6-1 (1-1 in CUSA era)
TV: ESPN+
FIU looks to respond following two road defeats at Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston in its first CUSA road trip of 2025. Jayden Brewer scored a combined 35 points in the two games, leading the Panthers in scoring in each contest.
Jonathan Aybar also delivered a standout weekend with 15 points at Louisiana Tech and a double-double 12 points and 11 rebounds at Sam Houston.
Last season, FIU held serve against New Mexico State at home, notching a 77-67 win on Jan. 11, 2024. The Aggies also secured a win in this series at home, defeating the Panthers 77-70 in their final regular season contest last season. The home win was FIU's first in program history over NM State.
The home tilt featured a big performance from Dashon Gittens, who scored 17 points and went 11-for-12 from the free throw line in the win. On the road, Jayden Brewer had success with a team-high 16 points in 25 minutes. Brewer continues to shine in his junior season, averaging 14.4 ppg, ninth-most in CUSA. Center Vianney Salatchoum is expected to be back in the fold after missing his last two games and ranks second in blocks per game in the conference with 2.0 per game.
FIU had all five of its CUSA wins in 2024 at home and has enjoyed a lot of success under head coach Jeremy Ballard inside the OBCC. The Panthers will look for their second-straight CUSA win at home after a convincing 85-66 win over Western Kentucky on Jan. 4.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
New Mexico State is off to a hot start in CUSA play, sporting a 3-0 record so far. The Aggies will make the trek to Miami following a blowout 85-57 win over UTEP in El Paso on Saturday, Jan. 11.
New Mexico State will be looking for its first win in Miami since Jan. 24, 2005. Christian Cook leads the Aggies with his 15.0 ppg, eighth-most in CUSA. NM State has a relatively balanced attack with four scorers (Cook, Robert Carpenter, Peter Filipovity, Zawdie Jackson) all averaging over 10 ppg and all within the top-25 in scoring in CUSA.
Defensively, the Aggies have been strong, holding opponents to just 38.8 percent shooting, 20th best in the nation and first in CUSA. NM State has also defended the three-point line at a solid rate, limiting opponents to just 29.6 percent shooting from deep, 39th best in the country and third-best in CUSA.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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