MIAMI, FL – On Monday, the FIU MTE began in thrilling fashion as the James Madison Dukes, who were picked to win the Sun Belt, defeated the FIU Panthers by a final score of 80-72. Led by forward Justin McBride, JMU won their first road contest of the 2025-26 season.
“We just didn’t finish enough possessions,” said head coach Jeremy Ballard following the game. “To give up 25 offensive rebounds, you’re just not going to win ball games like that. We had to finish the drill there. We just have to be more solid. I thought the game was intense; it was physical. Was intense. It had conference play level intensity, which is awesome to have that now, to get those reps right now. I thought we lost our composure a little bit. We had some bad fouls, silly fouls. Thought we had some shots that we just rushed a little bit. We were a little more uncharacteristic offensively in the second half. I thought we pounded the ball in one spot too much instead of getting off the ball and being more free-flowing. But all of these things are fixable.”
Missed opportunities left out there
The main difference tonight, and likely why FIU dropped this game, was James Madison out-rebounding the Panthers, 56-41. Of those 56 rebounds, 25 of them were offensive rebounds, which led to 29 second-chance points, compared to FIU’s 10. On top of that, FIU left a lot of points on the board, going 16-27 from the free throw line, more specifically in the second half, going 9-17, which is just over 50%.
FIU also struggled to make shots in the second half, going 7-30 from the field and 4-15 from beyond the arc. Within the final minutes of the game, Corey Stephenson got one big look from the top of the key, but missed. FIU went 1-14 from the field to close out the game.
“It was a good look,” Ballard said. “I thought we pressed a little bit in the second half in terms of feeling like we had to rush some shots. I trust Corey’s decision-making. It was a good look. They played off of him. It’s a shot he makes all the time; it’s a shot he works on all the time. If it goes in, it’s different. I trust his decision there.”
Corey Stephenson is a baller
The transfer from Cal State Bakersfield continues to show why he was the big-ticket get out of the transfer portal. Against the Dukes, Stephenson posted 25 points (10-22 FG/5-14 3FG), seven rebounds, one block and one steal. Unfortunately for Stephenson, he missed his final five shots of the game, including that potential game-tying three.
What Corey just said… we can't repeat 🪣@STBCOREY pic.twitter.com/PWED1MKxvU
— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) November 25, 2025
“He’s a special player and special person,” said Ballard. “He plays with such incredible emotion, intensity and urgency. He really embodies what the spirit of our program is and what we want it to be. He did a lot of awesome things tonight, and I’m really proud of him. Last game, he had seven turnovers; tonight, he had zero in 30 minutes. He’s a great player and an even better kid. He’s gonna keep getting better.”
Struggles from the freshman
One of the biggest gets from the high school ranks this offseason was center Eric Dibami. On Monday, despite leading the team in minutes played, he failed to score a point, but did have eight rebounds. Ever since arriving on campus, the 6’10” center has dealt with plenty of injuries, including the final scrimmage against Stetson, where he had to sit out the whole game and against LSU, he missed almost the entire first half. He did show flashes against Nebraska, but hasn’t been able to replicate that thus far.
“He had four offensive rebounds,” said Ballard. “He did some really good things on defense, and I know he didn’t finish some shots around the rim and miss some free throws, but I’m telling you that man’s character (is) as long as the… as the day is. He’s going to be great and do great things for us, and it’s going to keep getting better.”
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