Men’s Basketball Drops Second-Straight CUSA Road Game, Falls to SHSU

Despite taking down the CUSA champions before their road trip, FIU Men’s Basketball has struggled in their past two games.

After a loss to Louisiana Tech, the Panthers have dropped the second-straight game, this time to the Sam Houston State Bearkats by a score of 81-74.

FIU began with a solid showing by Jonathan Aybar, securing an early lead that they couldn’t hold on to. Once the Bearkats took the lead, they never looked back.

The Panthers’ offense looked to the arc but were not able to land shots. They only made four of their 20 attempts, including one single make in the second half.

Sam Houston made FIU pay, landing 10 three-pointers.

An unfortunate showing on offense for the Panthers, especially since they out-rebounded the Bearkats – 40 to 37.

FIU found themselves in a double-digit deficit in the second half but fought back to narrow the gap. It wasn’t enough, as SHSU sunk 29 of their 24 free throws.

Four Panthers got into the double-digits, including Dashon Gittens, Jonathan Aybar, Asim Jones, and Jayden Brewer, who led the way with 20.

Aybar also earned 11 rebounds, netting him a double-double.

FIU drops their record to 7-10. They’ll head back to Miami for an important three-game homestand. It starts against New Mexico State on Thursday, January 16th at 7pm.