MIAMI, FL – After a heartbreaking loss to the Liberty Flames in overtime, the FIU Panthers, led by forward Corey Stephenson, dropped 89 points en route to their first conference win of the season against the New Mexico State Aggies. This marked the Panthers’ second all-time win over the Aggies.
“This is an awesome win for us and for our program,” said FIU head coach Jeremy Ballard. “Anytime you play New Mexico State, it’s going to be hard-fought. They have very good players, a great coach, and they play tough and the right way. I’m really proud of our guys after a tough loss to Liberty on Sunday, a game we felt was in our grasp. I’m proud of how we responded, how we practiced after that game, and what we did today.”
20-5 Run Sparks Panthers
The moment in the game that FIU took a massive lead was when they went on a 20-5 run, which was led by Corey Stephenson’s two three-pointers. On the night
“When we can get stops consistently, that really feeds into what we do best on offense, which is getting out and running, playing free-flowing, and pushing the tempo. New Mexico State has good players and a good system, and they know exactly what they’re trying to do on the offensive end. There was a lot of basket trading for a while, and I told them in one of the timeouts, “Guys, we’re in a rhythm offensively. But when we really dig in and string together some stops in a row, we can go on a run.” And that’s exactly what they did.”
THE BOYS ARE EN FUEGO AT THE BANK 😱@STBCOREY pic.twitter.com/cUxsTtvTxP
— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) January 2, 2026
Corey Stephenson’s Case for CUSA Player of the Year
In every game this season, Stephenson has been in the double digits, and Friday’s game was no exception. In the first half alone, Stephenson had 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, and was shooting 5-8 from the field (2-3 3FG). He finished the game with 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists. He went 7-12 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc. Between his first two conference games, Stephenson has scored 38 points.
“I will never get tired of saying this: Corey (Stephenson) is special,” said Ballard. “I can’t say that enough. What you see with Corey in the midst of a 20–5 run is the same Corey you see in The Breakfast Club, shooting at 7:30 a.m. on a Monday. That’s who he is. He was made special, and he makes everyone around him better, and he makes his teammates better, he makes us better as coaches, and he takes accountability. He takes coaching, and he’s super competitive, he’s growing so much, and I’m just so proud of him.”
COREY STEPHENSON IS A HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL 😮💨
Your Florida City Gas Play of the Game! pic.twitter.com/ybTiLzOLNx
— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) January 2, 2026
Eric Dibami’s Freshman Season Continues To Impress
It was Dibami’s second half that really put FIU over the top, dropping eight points, going 2-3 from the field. He finished the night with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and shooting 6-10 from the field. It marks Dibami’s first double-double against a Division I team this season and his second of the season.
You can certainly begin to make the case that Dibami is the frontrunner for Conference USA Freshman of the Year, but Ballard doesn’t even think of that, not yet, at least.
“I don’t even think about Eric (Dibami) as a freshman,” said Ballard. “I think about him as being the best player he can be. All of those individual awards come with team success, and that’s what we talk about all the time.”
Taking Advantage Of Forced Turnovers
The Panthers, who are one of the best teams at forcing turnovers, were at it once again on Friday, forcing 15 turnovers. This time around, they took advantage of those turnovers, making 21 points off turnovers.
New Mexico State guard Gabe Pickens had six of the Aggies 15 turnovers, so plenty of credit needs to go to guards Zawdie Jackson and Ashton Williamson for being at the forefront of those turnovers.
“It’s much needed against a team like New Mexico State, because if you have to face their set defense, they’re one of the best defensive teams in the country every year, and Coach (Jason) Hooten is one of the best defensive coaches in the country,” Ballard said. “If you can get out and try to put them in disadvantageous situations, that’s going to be advantageous for your offense, and we did a great job of that.”
Big Day From Beyond The Arc
FIU’s 44.4% three point percentage marked the second-best this season, just behind their game against Jacksonville (68.8%). Stephenson and Brit Harris both led the way from beyond the arc. Stephenson went 3-4, and Harris went 3-3. Going into Friday’s game, FIU ranked second amongst Conference USA in three-point percentage, just behind the Liberty Flames. They kept that going on Friday afternoon.
What’s Next?
With the win, FIU moves to 1-1 in conference play, 8-5 on the season. They will welcome the UTEP Miners on Sunday, January 4, at 4:00 pm. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
“Coach (Joe) Golding is a guy I respect so much,” Ballard said. “He always has his teams competing at the highest level. They’re consistently one of the best teams in the nation at forcing turnovers and getting steals. They’re super physical, super aggressive, and they always compete. We haven’t had a lot of success against them because of that, so we know we have a dogfight on our hands anytime we play a UTEP team.”
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