Hawkins Shines On Senior Night As FIU MBB Stuns WKU In Thriller

MIAMI, FL – It sure seemed like everything was going against FIU as they got set to take on the Hilltoppers today at The Bank.

Not only was taking on a team that was aiming for one of the top spots in Conference USA leading up to the tournament, but the Panthers had to do this without one of their best.

Arturo Dean had to sit out this game with an apparent injury as sort of a precautionary measure to ensure he can still play in the conference tournament.

When you lose your team leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, it’s a Next Man Up mentality, and FIU found their guy, fittingly on Senior Night.

Javaunte Hawkins just played his last collegiate game ever at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center and left it all on the court, breaking out with 27 points, five rebounds, and five steals.

Among his buckets were a pair of clutch shots to regain the lead with minutes, and even seconds, to go.

FIU had a comfortable lead heading into halftime and looked to cruise in the second half of action, but the Hilltoppers hung around thanks to a pair of scoring runs.

The Panthers had done a great job limiting WKU’s offense in the paint, thanks in part to fellow senior Seth Pinkney who collected three blocks and was a force to be reckoned with under the rim.

But the Hilltoppers utilized their height advantage more in the second half, especially as Pinkney began to get in foul trouble. They ultimately took their first lead of the game with minutes to go.

FIU didn’t quit, and thanks to the efforts of Hawkins as well as Jaidemn Lipscomb, they not only hung around but found the right time to take the lead back.

This was a sloppy game, with 26 total turnovers committed by both teams and 34 points cashed in from them.

The real X-Factor tonight for FIU was their ability to shoot from beyond the arc, going 14-28, a perfect 50%. Attacking the rim wasn’t a common strategy for them in this game, and for good reason.

With the win, FIU improves their record to 10-19, and have won two of their last three, just the right time to get on a hot streak right before the C-USA Tournament.

This loss for Western Kentucky also unintentionally destroyed their chances at a top spot in the conference, which will determine seeding for the tournament which begins on March 12th.

Before that, the Panthers will close out the season on a two-game road trip, starting with a matchup in Texas as they take on the UTEP Miners on Thursday, March 7th at 9 pm.