FIU Basketball Shocks WKU, Advances In CUSA Tournament

Madness must be in the air, as the 10th-seed FIU Panthers shocked the Conference USA world by taking down the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers – the defending CUSA champions – by a score of 64-61 in a thriller no one saw coming. Not even us.

Plain and simple, FIU never allowed WKU to build a large lead, hanging in the game until the very end. For as much as the Panthers accomplished in this game, the Hilltoppers did themselves no favors. Going an abysmal 1-18 from the three-point line along 11 turnovers signified doom for WKU. For FIU, capitalizing on their mistakes was a must, and they managed well in that department.

Making The Most Of A Tricky Situation

That’s not to say that FIU played flawlessly. Their offense struggled to get the gears going at times. At one point, they hadn’t scored a field goal in the first half in about seven minutes.

In the waning minutes of the first half, the tides began to change. WKU had built a double-digit lead – 27-14, to be specific. But in a full minute, the Panthers scored eight straight points. This ended with a buzzer-beater by Jayden Brewer to cut the lead to five at halftime.

Once the second half rolled around, FIU played like a team with nothing to lose. Their maximized defensive pressure was a little too much for the Hilltoppers to handle. They got into extended foul trouble early, and their best scorers were held to single-digit points for the majority of the game.

On the other end, the Panthers were led by both Brewer and Asim Jones, who were a dynamic scoring duo on the court. Both of them ended up with 17 points, even with Brewer having to spend extra time on the bench due to a late injury. They had to compensate for Jonathan Aybar fouling out of the game early, impacting their size but not their pressure on defense.

Finally Coming Out In The Clutch

This game was tied at 55 points each with 1:14 to go. However, the Panthers drew critical fouls on the Toppers, which sent them to the free-throw line often. They cashed in with six-straight points, which was needed as WKU sank their first three-pointer of the night (plus a foul) not long after. Ultimately, FIU held on, sending the Hilltoppers back to Bowling Green early.

With the win, FIU continues their season. They’ll now take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the next round – a familiar opponent, considering the Oanthers knocked them out of last year’s tournament. Tipoff is set for Wednesday, March 12th, at 9pm.