LAS CRUCES, N.M.– Using a clutch final minute from Corey Stephenson and timely stops, FIU men's basketball (10-10, 3-6 CUSA) snapped its five-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, knocking off New Mexico State (10-9, 3-6) for the second time this season by a score of 81-78.

"I'm incredibly proud of these guys. When you're in the middle of a losing streak, it's easy to question everything," head coach Jeremy Ballard said. "It's easy to get frustrated, point fingers, and have doubt. But they never did. They stayed together, kept believing, and trusted the process. Any time you can come into New Mexico State and get a win, it's huge. This is a proud program. Coach Hooten does an outstanding job. They have good talent, they are difficult to play against from a strategic standpoint, and they have a great crowd. To come in here, persevere, and handle the ups and downs of the game, I couldn't be more proud."

It was all Aggies in the first eight minutes and change, as the Panthers fell behind by five early but kept it close. Julian Mackey tied the game at 18 on a three at 11:14, followed by a Brit Harris steal and score to take the first lead of the day. 

FIU started to slowly pull away over the next few minutes, up to seven after Harris passed an alley-oop to Stephenson off the backboard. Mackey hit another three and Zawdie Jackson fought for a tough layup to get it to ten against his old squad, leading 33-23 with 5:21 left.

After an Aggie run over the next few minutes, Ashton Williamson responded in kind with a clutch three, first of two big ones he had on the day. FIU led 40-31 at the break.

Williamson again led an FIU charge with a three to make it a 13-point lead at 16:20, and even got as high as 15 at 14:45 after a pair of Jackson free throws. While the Aggies hit some threes to keep it close, FIU kept the lead at 11 after Thiago Sucatzky banked in a jumper at 12:31.

The Aggies rallied back over the next nine minutes to tie, and then take the lead, even with FIU still scoring in response. With the Panthers trailing 73-71, and then 78-75, it was Corey Stephenson both times who answered the bell, hitting a mid-range jumper and then connecting on his first three of the day, a massive one to tie it at 78 with 57 seconds remaining.

Stephenson scored the final ten points of the game for the Panthers, getting fouled away from the play and making both free throws. The lead was 80-78, and Stephenson was fouled over the back after the Aggies had three open looks to take the lead or tie. He went 1-of-2 from the line, and with some Williamson chaos on the next inbound, FIU held on for a nailbiting 81-78 win.

Stephenson led the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds, joining J.C. Otero in 2010 as Panthers to reach that line in a road game. Down the stretch, Stephenson fired up the team and was important in the late comeback.

"This meant everything, man. It really meant everything," Stephenson said. "I told everybody this was the biggest game of the season. We've been losing, and we beat them the first matchup. They hit some big shots, but we stayed in it. We really came together today. Man, this meant everything."

Mackey (12), Jackson (10 against his old team) and Williamson (10) rounded out the scoring four for FIU. Sucatzky led the team with four assists in the victory.

The win was FIU's first on the road since Dec. 14, 2024 at Stetson, and first road win in Conference USA play since Mar. 4, 2023 at Rice. The win tied Ballard with Rich Walker in coaching victories, and one more will make Ballard the winningest coach in school history at 109.

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FIU comes back home for one game next week, hosting Jacksonville State on Wednesday.

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