MIAMI — FIU's men's basketball program went down to the wire with visiting-Middle Tennessee on Thursday evening, falling 73-69 in its Conference USA (CUSA) opener at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
The Panthers led 35-32 at the half and held a seven-point lead with 6:25 to go after a George Pridgett Jr. made three-pointer. MTSU responded with a 15-4 run down the stretch to claim the four-point win.
Vianney Salatchoum showed his variety of skills, finishing with a season-high 21 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including his first three-pointer of the season. Asim Jones stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 34 minutes.
Dashon Gittens knocked down two threes and joined Salatchoum and Jones in double-figures with 10 points. Travis Gray delivered nine points and five rebounds off the bench. As a team, FIU had seven blocked shots and forced 14 turnovers.
The Panthers started off the first half quickly as a Jones three made the score 14-6 FIU with 13:03 remaining. MTSU made a small run, but Jones knocked down two free throws to extend the Panther lead to six with three minutes left in the first half. Gray's layup with 32 seconds left in the opening period was the final basket, giving FIU the three-point advantage at the break.
In the second half, the Blue Raiders responded, taking a seven-point lead with 14 minutes to go. FIU punched back with an 11-0 run to go up 55-51 with 10:40 remaining. Back-to-back threes from Salatchoum and Pridgett extended the lead to seven points with 6:25 remaining, but MTSU controlled the last six minutes, outscoring FIU by 11 for the four-point victory.
UP NEXT
The Panthers continue their opening CUSA weekend, hosting Western Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. in Miami.
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