HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — FIU's 10th-seeded men's basketball program suffered a 65-56 defeat to second-seeded Jacksonville State on Wednesday night to conclude its time at the Conference USA (CUSA) Championships.

The Panthers (10-23) could not repeat the March magic from the previous evening's win over WKU, falling to the Gamecocks (21-11) by nine points. Jayden Brewer led the scoring with 18 points and had four rebounds, three steals and one block in 32 minutes. Jonathan Aybar also scored in double-digits with 13 points on three made three-pointers. 

Dashon Gittens also knocked down three triples and finished with nine points. Asim Jones chipped in seven points off the bench. 

FIU pulled within one early in the second half after a Brewer layup, down 38-37 with 14:29 to go. Jax State immediately responded with a 9-0 run that put the Gamecocks back up double-digits. FIU trailed by four or more for the rest of the contest as Jax State continued to make clutch shots down the stretch. 

The first half was cagey and featured back-and-forth shot-making from each team. At the 4:14 mark, Jax State edged in front by six, but FIU responded with a 5-0 run courtesy of an Aybar three and Brewer layup. The Panthers had a fantastic defensive possession to end the half, but a clutch three from JSU with one second left gave the Gamecocks a four-point halftime lead.