CORAL GABLES, Fla.– Despite being tied at half and battling early in the second, FIU men's basketball (5-4) couldn't overcome the offensive onslaught of RV Miami (10-2), dropping the Battle for the 305 98-81 on Tuesday night.
"Proud of the effort from our guys, but we came in here to win, not just to be close," head coach Jeremy Ballard said. "We kept it close for a long time, but ultimately we weren't solid enough to get it done. Miami shot nearly 74 percent from two, which is a testament to their talent and their scheme, especially their ability to generate paint points. That wasn't a formula for us to win. We had too many turnovers, and Miami obviously played a role in that. They do a great job of forcing turnovers, and we had too many possessions that simply weren't FIU possessions."
The 'Canes ran to an early 15-6 lead, using the paint advantage in their favor to gain control. FIU didn't really settle in until the 11-minute mark, where consecutive steal-and-scores by Ashton Williamson and Julian Mackey put together a 6-0 run and forced a Miami timeout.
Back-to-back threes by Corey Stephenson brought the Panthers to within two points, and the team got the game tied on a three by Brit Harris at 6:42. Stephenson followed on the next sequence with a jumper for a 34-32 lead.
Mackey hit a big-time three from the top of the key to get the lead back, and another 6-0 run on a Williamson trey made it 40-35 Panthers with 2:49 left. Mackey had the chance to extend the lead to as much as four in the waning seconds, but went 1-of-3 from the line, seeing the Hurricanes respond with a lay-in to make it 43-apiece at the half.
FIU couldn't replicate its first half success down the stretch to open half two, in spite of a tying dunk by Hamed Olayinka and corner three by Zawdie Jackson to make it 48-48. Miami ran away with it over the next few possessions, stretching the lead to eight.
With 12:49 left and the lead trimmed back to five, the Panthers couldn't find the big shots they had in the first frame, missing a couple key shots. Miami remained in control for the remainder of the game, even with a strong effort from Stephenson and freshman Thiago Sucatzky, losing 98-81.
Stephenson went 10-15 from the field, scoring 23 points and knocking down three three-pointers, more than anyone on the Panthers and adding six assists. He's the first Panther with at least 23 points, 6 assists and 3 steals in a game since Brian Beard Jr. had 28, 10 and 4 against Old Dominion on 1/12/19.
Mackey (17) extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight games, and Sucatzky had a career-high 10 with a pair of assists and steals in the loss. The Argentinian guard is averaging 2.9 assists per game through nine career games.
Ibrahim Olajuwon had four blocks in the game, a career-high. It's the second time a Panther has had four or more blocks in a game this season, joining Olayinka who had five in the season opener.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Saturday night for a game against LIU.
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