SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, FIU men's basketball (9-7, 2-3 CUSA) dropped the road half of the series to Missouri State (10-7, 4-1), trailing early on and making it close a few times but never taking the lead back.

Three-point shooting was cold in the first half for the Panthers, going just 1-9 from beyond the arc. Leading 6-2 after a Hamed Olayinka dunk, FIU surrendered a 15-0 run and spent the majority of the half clawing back.

Over the next several minutes, Missouri State saw its lead wane but never less than four - Julian Mackey knocked down a three at 1:25 to get it there - but a missed three after a free throw rebound sent the Bears into the halftime break up 35-30.

The Bears rolled to start the half, scoring 14 straight points out of the locker room and setting the tone for the rest of the game. Mackey hit his second three at 14:00 and made it a seven-point deficit, but the Bears kept responding when FIU scored.

Trailing 53-42 with 11 minutes left, FIU charged to get back in the game, with Mackey and Olayinka causing some chaos on offense and defense. Ashton Williamson nailed a three from the top of the key to make it 60-56, and after Thiago Sucatzky forced a turnover before the under-eight, Corey Stephenson hit a mid-range jumper, cutting the Bears advantage to two.

The Bears pulled away again after this. The Panthers had untimely fouls and couldn't find a stop, despite it being a four-point deficit with 2:20 left after Zawdie Jackson cashed a mid-range. MSU went on to take the game 79-71.

Five Panthers scored in double digits, with Mackey leading the way at 18. Stephenson (12), Olayinka (11), Williamson (11) and Eric Dibami (10 points, seven rebounds) all scored 10 or more.

The Panthers went just 4-18 from three in the loss, back-to-back games where they hit just four during the game.

UP NEXT
FIU stays on the road to take on Kennesaw State next Wednesday.

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