Men’s Basketball Collapses Late Against Top-Dog Aggies

MIAMI, FL – Despite a solid performance on defense in front of a packed crowd, FIU Men’s Basketball couldn’t deliver in the clutch as they fell to the New Mexico State Aggies by a score of 59-52.

Both teams played sloppy on offense in one of the lowest-scoring games of the season for either team. There were some positives to take away, but FIU’s offense still can’t reliably shoot the ball, especially with minutes to go.

Vianney Salatchoum came back to the starting lineup following an injury that sidelined him for a few games and didn’t miss a beat, collecting 13 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks.

The Panthers and Aggies were sloppy with turnovers, committing 14 and 13, respectively. Whereas FIU didn’t capitalize on them as much, New Mexico State dropped 18 points off of turnovers on the night.

Another performance where FIU out-rebounded the opposing team was wasted in the end, edging out the Aggies 14-10.

At halftime, this was anybody’s game. The Panthers even took the lead with three minutes left, but couldn’t stop New Mexico State’s sharpshooters, not to mention 13 points from the free throw line.

FIU went 2-13 from the three-point line, 15% from the arc. It’s the second-worst percentage in a game for the Panthers this season, only behind their loss to Northeastern in which they shot a pitiful 11.1%.

This loss drops the Panthers’ record to 7-11, dropping their third-straight win. They’ll continue their homestand against the UTEP Miners on Saturday, January 18th at 2pm.