MIAMI– Fans at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center were treated to a classic Conference USA matchup as FIU men's basketball (7-5, 0-1 CUSA) fell just short of taking down preseason favorite Liberty (9-3, 1-0), seeing a game with 17 ties and 11 lead changes go the way of the Flames in overtime by a score of 97-94.

"I think this is what Conference USA play is all about," head coach Jeremy Ballard said. "There are going to be battles every single night, and we knew today would be a fiercely fought game. We have a ton of respect for Liberty, for Coach McKay, and for their players, especially for the continuity they have maintained, which is rare in today's college basketball world. It was a hard-fought game. I was disappointed that we were down eight at halftime because I felt we hurt ourselves in the first half, but I was really proud of our effort to storm back in the second half.

FIU held a lead for a good portion of the first half, but never more than four. Eric Dibami continued his strong start to the game with a lay-in at 8:32 to lead 23-19.

The Panthers went on a long scoring drought over the next few minutes as the Flames took a six-point lead. Ibrahim Olajuwon's tough sky hook cut it back to three at 1:55, but Liberty gathered itself and closed the half with five straight points, leading 41-33 at the first break.

FIU started the second half flying thanks to Olajuwon and Hamed Olayinka. Olayinka had five points to begin the frame and Olajuwon ambled through the paint to tie it early at 44. Olayinka continued to score as the lead changed hands a few times over the next several possessions, grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it in to extend the advantage to 52-49 at 12:42.

The next minute belonged to Thiago Sucatzky, who nailed back-to-back threes, including one with the shot-clock expiring, making it a seven-point spread, the largest of the day to that point. Corey Stephenson hit a big trey at 9:04 to make it eight, but the Flames weren't done.

Liberty hung around, and after a near-five minute stretch without a field goal but just free throws, Liberty led 80-79 at 1:50. Zawdie Jackson finished a layup for the lead, and after a stop on the other end, Dibami went 1-2 from the line which allowed the Flames to scamper back and tie it at 82. With nine seconds left, Dibami missed a layup at the buzzer, leading to overtime.

The Panthers fought as hard as they could in overtime, even leading after a Jackson three-ball with a little over a minute remaining, but the Flames always had an answer. Despite a Stephenson three to cut it to within one with two seconds left, Liberty made both free throws on the other end and intercepted the inbounds pass, winning 97-94 in an instant classic.

Dibami had a career night with 21 points and nine rebounds, the first Panther freshman to have those numbers in a game since Jerome Frink did it at Boston College on 11/11/12. Stephenson had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds (five offensive), joining Olayinka (16) and Jackson (12) in double figures. Brit Harris also pushed himself over 1,000 collegiate points during the loss.

UP NEXT
The Panthers welcome New Mexico State to the OBCC on Friday.

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