MIAMI — FIU's men's basketball program takes on Liberty in road Conference USA (CUSA) matchup on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers (8-18, 2-11 CUSA) face off with the Flames (21-5, 9-4 CUSA) in Lynchburg, Va. at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Saturday, Feb. 22 at NM State
Time/Site: 2 p.m. ET | Pan American Center
Series History: FIU and Liberty tied 3-3 (1-2 in CUSA era)
Last Meeting: Liberty def. FIU, 82-59 (Jan. 25, 2025)
TV: ESPN+
FIU hits the road in search of its first CUSA win away from home this season, taking on a hot-Liberty team that has won four-straight games. The Panthers have lost three-straight, most recently falling to UTEP and New Mexico State last weekend on the road.
Senior forward Jonathan Aybar is approaching 1,000 career points, sitting at 971 with a minimum of six games remaining. He is enjoying the best season of his career overall, averaging double-digits for the first time with 10.2 ppg.
Jayden Brewer is also having a standout season for FIU, leading the Panthers with 14.7 ppg, eight-best in CUSA. Vianney Salatchoum continues to make an impact, especially on the defensive end, with his 2.04 blocks per game, second in CUSA and 25th-nationally. As a team, the Panthers rank 31st-nationally and first in CUSA with 4.8 blocks per game.
In the last meeting between FIU and Liberty, the Flames stormed out to 43-27 halftime lead on their way to a 23-point win. Brewer led FIU with 17 points while Dashon Gittens added 12 in support. Aybar also had double-digit points with 11.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
Liberty has regained its form after a blistering 12-1 start in non-conference play, currently riding a four-game CUSA win streak. The Flames are also 10-2 at home this season, only falling to WKU in their CUSA opener and UTEP on Jan. 16.
Most recently, Liberty defeated New Mexico State and UTEP on the road on Feb. 13 and 15. Kaden Metheny and Taelon Peter lead a balanced scoring attack, both averaging 13.1 ppg.
As a team, the Flames are one of the country's most efficient teams, ranking third-nationally in effective field goal percentage at 58 percent. Liberty has also been strong defensively, allowing just 61.7 ppg, eighth-best nationally.
Peter led the scoring when FIU met Liberty in Miami, pouring in 21 points. Colin Porter added 12 while Metheny had 13. The Flames made 11 threes and held FIU to 38.9 shooting in the convincing victory.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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