HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS – FIU men's basketball (13-14, 6-10 CUSA) plays its final nationally-televised game of the regular season, taking on second-place Sam Houston (19-8, 11-5) on Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

The Inbound

FIU bounced back from a heartbreaking loss at Liberty last week with a strong victory over Missouri State, using a Corey Stephenson three with 2.6 seconds left to win 70-67 in Miami. FIU held the Bears to 22 first-half points, a low for any opponent this season.

Sam Houston has been rolling, winning nine of their last ten games. The Bearkats took down Middle Tennessee and Jax State at home last week.

Series History
FIU is 3-6 all-time against the Bearkats, but just 2-4 since they joined Conference USA. The Bearkats won the first meeting between the two teams this year on Jan. 17. The Panthers connected on a season-low 15 field goals in that game despite 23 from Julian Mackey, losing 76-63.

FIU has never won in Huntsville, going 0-3 at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

Notable Storylines
- Mackey scored 23 points in the first meeting between these two teams in January and had another strong game against Missouri State, drawing the start and scoring 22 points. He is 41 points away from 1,000 in his career.
- Zawdie Jackson has been one of the Panthers' best players down the stretch in conference play. Over the last six games, he is averaging 16.0 ppg and 2.8 assists, scoring 11 against the Bears. He's shooting 63.6 percent from three, and is 12 assists away from 500 in his career.
- Stephenson continues to roll for the Panthers. He averaged 20 ppg in the two games last week, and won the game on a three with 2.6 seconds left against Missouri State. He is averaging the third-most ppg in the league at 17.9 and surpassed 1,000 career points against Liberty.
- Hamed Olayinka has quietly put together a strong three-game stretch, averaging 14.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg. He also sits second in the league with 41 blocks.
- FIU's next win will be tied for their most since the 2022-23 season.

UP NEXT

FIU closes up the road portion of the schedule at Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

TICKETS
For more information on FIU men's basketball tickets, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit the FIU Athletics Online Ticket Office.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUHoops), Twitter (@FIUHoops), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensBball) for all the latest Men's Basketball news.

General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.