MIAMI — FIU's men's basketball program travels to Western Kentucky for a Conference USA (CUSA) tilt on Thursday night to open up its final regular season road trip.
The Panthers (9-20, 3-13 CUSA) take on the Hilltoppers (16-13, 7-9 CUSA) at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT in Bowling Green, Ky. on Thursday evening.
Thursday, March 6 vs. Western Kentucky
Time/Site: 8 p.m. ET | E.A. Diddle Arena
Series History: WKU leads 40-13
Last Meeting: FIU def. WKU, 85-66 (Jan. 4, 2025)
TV: ESPN+
FIU enters this matchup following a split in its final home regular season weekend, downing Kennesaw State 76-61 on Thursday night before falling to Jacksonville State, 84-79 in double overtime on Saturday. The Panthers are in search of their first CUSA road win of the season at WKU.
FIU's Jonathan Aybar scored a career-high 19 points against Jacksonville State and reached the 1,000 career point milestone in the process. Vianney Salatchoum also had a strong performance against the Gamecocks, racking up 18 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
When these two teams last met, the Panthers delivered their best performance of the season, racing out to a 52-29 halftime lead on their way to a 19-point win. Asim Jones led FIU with 17 points as FIU made 11 threes on 22 attempts. The Panthers shot 20-for-25 from the free throw line as well.
Defensively, FIU held WKU to just 36.8 percent shooting, including 18.2 percent from three. Both teams combined to shoot 49 free throws in the game.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
WKU was defeated by New Mexico State its last time out, falling 65-47. Western Kentucky has lost five of its last seven overall, but has a 12-4 record at home this season.
The Hilltoppers are led by Don McHenry and his 17.2 ppg, of which is sixth-best in CUSA. Both Khristian Lander and Tyrone Marshall are also dynamic scorers for WKU, averaging double-digit point outputs.
As a team, Western Kentucky is first in CUSA in defensive rebounds per game (28.0) and 12th-nationally.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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