MIAMI– FIU men's basketball (8-5, 1-1 CUSA) earned an impressive early conference season win over New Mexico State (8-4, 1-1), going on an early 20-2 run and using five double-digit scorers to stun the Aggies 89-74 - just the program's second all-time win over NM State in ten meetings.

"There was really good energy in the building. I'm not sure what the attendance number was, but the noise level was really high," head coach Jeremy Ballard said. "I'm very appreciative of the fans and of them sticking by us, and I'm really proud of our effort tonight. This is an awesome win for us and an awesome win for our program. Anytime you can beat New Mexico State, it's a great win. They have very good players, a great coach, and they play the right way. They play tough, so anytime you beat them, it's going to be hard fought.

While the teams traded scores early, FIU was about to pounce. A 20-2 run over six minutes aided by Corey Stephenson (12 points) and Eric Dibami (six points) set the tone for the rest of the half. The conference leader in turnovers forced per game forced four from the Aggies in this span, making it 37-21 with 5:02 left.

The Aggies responded with an 11-0 spread of their own, but four Zawdie Jackson free throws against his old squad kept them at bay - leading 41-34 around two minutes remaining.

Hamed Olayinka's and-one conversion late in the half pushed it back to ten, but it was cut to five by the visitors heading into the locker room. FIU led 44-39 after a late Aggie three.

Another strong defensive stretch followed out of halftime. Two steals by Ashton Williamson and one by Jackson led to five quick points and a 50-39 lead, a common theme on the day for FIU, who recorded 21 points off turnovers in the game.

The Panthers did not allow the Aggies any closer for the remainder of the game, pushing the pace on offense and defense. Dibami's tip-in at 10:30 stretched the advantage to 20 for the first time.

The lead was as much as 26 with six minutes left, and didn't get below 15 points, earning an impressive 89-74 win and the first CUSA victory of the year.

Stephenson continued his dominance with his fourth 20-point effort of the season, scoring 21 and grabbing seven rebounds. He's recorded double digits in all 13 games this season.

"I'm just playing hard," Stephenson said. "Everything comes to me through our offense, so I stick to playing hard and doing what we do."

Dibami's stat line of 16 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks was a first in FIU history, continuing his excellent stretch with his fourth consecutive game in double figures. Williamson (14 points, three assists), Olayinka (14 points, seven rebounds) and Jackson (10 points, four assists) joined them with ten or more points.

"I just kept driving, my teammates kept trusting me and feeding me the ball," Williamson said "I focused on making the right reads. This is a big win for us."

It was FIU's first win over the Aggies since January 11, 2024, and just the second in the series history of ten games. FIU also has made 50 more threes (115-65) through 13 games than the 2024-25 season.

UP NEXT
The Panthers battle the other western team, hosting UTEP for the final time in Miami as conference foes on Sunday.

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