FIU MBB Falls To Rice In 2024 Season Opener

The 2024 season for FIU Men’s Basketball started on a sour note as they hell to the Rice Owls by a final score of 70-77.

Not all is bad news. Jayden Brewer and Dashon Gittens both shined, scoring 18 points each in the loss. FIU battled until the very end, keeping it close, but a strong first half for Rice was more than enough to keep their lead.

A WARM BREW

The first half was a productive one for Brewer, who finished with 11 points. Rice, however, cruised on ahead 38-27 at the half, with FIU down by 11.

It was a collective statistical effort all around from Rice with Caden Powell leading the charge with nine points and seven rebounds. It was clear that FIU had to pick up momentum in the second, and Rice wasn’t going down easily.

A TOUGH FINISH

FIU showed far more grit and hustle into the second half. While Gittens only scored three points in the first half, he blasted his way with a 15-point second-half surge.

You can’t count out senior guard Travis Gray, who was nearly perfect in his field goal attempts, going 6-7. He finished the night with 15 points, going a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.

The Owls, on the other hand, held onto the lead for the entire game with the help of Trea Broadnax, scoring 11 points as the cherry on top.

WHAT’S NEXT

Though 0-1, it is still a very young season for FIU as they now venture to Cedar City, Utah to take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in the Beehive State.

With Southern Utah being 1-0 to start the season after a win against Western New Mexico, this should prove a fun matchup on November 9th at 8:30pm.