MIAMI, FL – The FIU Panthers are coming off of one of their more disappointing games of the season. After leading by as many as 12 against the Stetson Hatters, FIU was unable to hold onto the lead and ended up losing 80-68.
The Panthers enter Thursday’s contest against a Maine Black Bears team that is 8-5 on the season, with their most notable win coming against the South Florida Bulls.
Guard Kellen Tynes has led the way for the Black Bears as he has 13.5 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game, and is shooting 46.7% from the field.
Tynes is a well-known player as he was an All-AEC player, AEC All-Defense, and the AEC Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Right behind Tynes, Peter Filipovity has been second in points per game this season, with 13.2 PPG, 6.9 REB, 0.9 AST, and is shooting 57.8% from the field.
As a team, the Black Bears are the second-to-worst offensive team in the American East conference but have the best defense only giving up 64.0 points per game.
Both Tyenes and Filipovity are in the top ten (nine and ten) in scoring amongst the American East Conference.
The offense also has the highest turnover margin in their conference, so this is a prime opportunity for someone like Arturo Dean to have a bounce-back game after being limited to just two points and one steal.
Guard Javaunte Hawkins has been a spark plug for the Panthers off the bench, scoring 17 points and shooting 4-8 from the three-point line.
Jaidon Lipscomb continues to play well for the Panthers and begins to make a case to be a starter for FIU. In his last three games, the junior guard has scored a total of 51 points.
Lipscomb also began making better overall decisions. In the second half of action against the Stetson Hatters, Lipscomb had the wide-open three but saw a defender going at him, so he passed it to guard Jayden Brewer for the and-one layup.
Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday, 7pm at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Alex Krutchik and I will be on-site for coverage.
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