FIU Men’s Basketball Falls Short In First Game Of Cayman Islands Classic

For FIU’s first appearance in the Cayman Islands Classic, they put on quite the show.

In a back-and-forth affair that came down to the wire, the Panthers fell just short to the undefeated Akron Zips by a score of 77-71 in the first of at least three matchups in this in-season tournament.

FIU showed a lot of fight early on and kept up with Akron as they got hot first. Through it all, they never got a lead bigger than nine points over the Panthers, as any chance of a massive scoring run was quickly negated.

Both teams took a very similar amount of shots, with 53 to FIU and 54 to Akron. What gave the Zips the upper hand was their rebounding, racking up 42 to the Panthers 23 while doubling offensive boards.

At the same time, FIU was exceptional with picking pockets and collecting 14 steals. Both teams committed 19 turnovers as well.

Through it all, the Panthers led with a little over three minutes to go, but the Zips began a 16-7 run that was defined by the rebounding, ultimately pulling away with less than a minute to go.

The duo of Petar Krivokapic and Arturo Dean was stellar even in the loss. PPP scored a career-high 26 points, while Dean had a near-double double with 14 points and nine assists.

FIU falls to 1-4, but will now enter the consolation bracket of the Cayman Islands Classic, matching up against the Marshall Thundering Herd tomorrow at 5pm.