MIAMI — FIU's men's basketball program was defeated by Louisiana Tech 82-71 in Conference USA (CUSA) action on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers (8-16, 2-9 CUSA) trailed the Bulldogs (17-7, 6-5 CUSA) 45-30 at the half after a hot-shooting start for Louisiana Tech. FIU made a second-half run as a three-pointer from Jaden Grant with 14:02 to go brought the Panthers within six, but Louisiana Tech held them off from there, securing a nine-point victory. 

Jayden Brewer led FIU in scoring with 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field, adding three rebounds and two assists. Jonathan Aybar scored 13 points in 21 minutes, bringing his career total to 962. 

Dashon Gittens and Ashton Williamson both scored 12 points. Gittens knocked down two threes and added a team-high seven rebounds. Williamson started for the second-straight game and had 10 first-half points. 

As a team, FIU made eight three-pointers, shooting 44.4 percent from deep. The Panthers shot 44.1 percent from the field while the Bulldogs shot 60.8 percent. FIU had a season-low eight turnovers and forced 14 Louisiana Tech turnovers. 

The Bulldogs raced out a 14-4 lead, but the Panthers cut the deficit to six after a Vianney Salatchoum jump shot, trailing 24-18. From that point, Louisiana Tech ripped off a 21-12 run to close the first half, taking a 15-point lead to the locker room. 

In the second half, FIU responded by cutting its deficit to six in the first six minutes of the second frame. Louisiana Tech delivered with a 7-0 run down the stretch to build its lead back to 14 and seal the win. 

UP NEXT

FIU will travel to El Paso, Texas for its next CUSA game, taking on UTEP on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. MT. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

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