MIAMI, FL – The Delaware Blue Hens arrived in town ready to show that they’re not out quite yet. Despite being in last place in Conference USA, they showed up to the 305 ready to play some hardcore basketball.
The FIU Panthers, on the other hand, now find themselves in conference play on the outside looking in. After making an insane comeback in the second half, the Panthers lost to the Blue Hens in heartbreaking fashion, 68-66 at the buzzer.
“That’s what college basketball is. That’s what athletics are. That’s what life is, right?” said Jeremy Ballard. “Roller coasters, ups and downs, and how are you gonna respond to those ups and downs. And we really responded, and we came back. We gave ourselves a chance.”
“We made some huge shots at the end of the game. We got some really good stops. Our pressure really bothered them today. Our traps, whether being the half-court or full court, ended up bothering them, and then, again, just great execution down at the end to get that steal. Ash goes up and makes a huge, huge three.”
“And [I] really thought we had given ourselves a chance to get those extra five minutes, and I would’ve felt really good about our chances in that situation. But yeah, just a roller coaster [with] time right there. Tough.”
FIU Leads for the Majority of the Half
The Panthers started the game on a roll, jumping to an early 13-5 lead. Ashton Williamson and Eric Dibami lead the way with a combined total of nine points.
WELL HELLOOOOOOO 💥@STBCOREY pic.twitter.com/EZZwqqZNxQ
— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) February 13, 2026
FIU did a good job of forcing turnovers in the first half as Delaware was held to a 31.3% turnover percentage. However, FIU only came up with six points off them.
Despite the lead, the Panthers weren’t getting all the shots they wanted. At halftime, they were only shooting 34% on the floor and 25% from downtown.
Zawdie Jackson led FIU in scoring during the half with nine points on 3/4 shooting. The senior guard finished the game with 14 points, including 2/2 shooting from behind the arc, two rebounds, and three assists.
At the glass, FIU was dominant with 19 total rebounds. They had a good mix of boards on both sides of the ball, with nine of those coming while on offense.
As usual, Eric Dibami displayed his excellence with eight rebounds throughout the half. The 6’10 big man posted his sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and a pair of steals.
“So proud of him, he was awesome today,” said Coach Ballard. “He was a warrior today, 15 points, 13 rebounds, six offensive rebounds. He played his tail off. So, that’s a testament to his talent. That’s a testament to his character. That’s a testament to the work he puts in. So, very proud of him and not surprised.”
AIR-IC ⏫@eric_dibami pic.twitter.com/Q62rQutxdW
— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) February 13, 2026
Panthers Lose Lead and then Come Back
FIU started trailing as soon as the second half began. As Delaware kept piling on their shots and going on scoring runs, FIU just kept sinking in the basement. At one point, they went six minutes without making a field goal.
With 5:45 to go, the Blue Hens were up by 17 points, 60-43. The Panthers were mismatched and seemed tuned out for good.
In the last four minutes of the game, they did the unbelievable and went on an 18-4 scoring run. It was capped off by back-to-back three-pointers from Jackson and Williamson. He scored 11 points in the contest and dished out a couple of assists. Just like that, the game was tied at 66.
https://twitter.com/RickScores/status/2022125840314900672?s=20
However, the joyride was short-lived, and five seconds later, Christian Bliss drove in for the layup. He missed, but Macon Emory recovered the offensive rebound and scored on the buzzer-beater for Delaware. He was able to squeak in a second-chance tip-in layup as time expired.
Comparing the halves, FIU did pick up the slack with their shots, posting a 44% shooting percentage while going 29% from the three-point line. They also took more advantage of Delaware’s turnovers, finishing the game with 18 off them.
Still, the Panthers made more shot attempts (67), as well as more misses, which killed them. Defensively, the Blue Hens had the edge in rebounding with 38 boards, and that was also critical in this close loss.
Up Next
FIU is back in action at the OBCC on Saturday at 2 pm against Louisiana Tech.
“LA Tech’s an awesome defensive team,” said Jeremy Ballard. “It’ll be [a] different defense. They don’t play zone. They actually play some zone, but they don’t play 40 minutes of zone the way that Delaware does. But they’re awesome on the offensive glass like a number of teams in our league are.”
“I already told our guys in the locker room we gotta prepare. I’m sure they popped in the tape of the Western Kentucky game, and their eyes are big and probably foaming at the mouth at the opportunity to try to crush us on their offensive glass. So, we have to be ready for that fight, and we gotta learn from today, and a lot of learning from today will be guarding the ball, making sure we get stops. Following the plan all the time, just consistency, because it’ll be a very different style of [a] basketball game come Saturday.”
“But we gotta make sure Delaware doesn’t beat us twice. Delaware beat us today fair and square. We gotta make sure they don’t beat us twice, and there’s no hangover from this game. That we learn from this game and respond and get ready for LA Tech cause we got an unbelievable chance in front of our home crowd to get a win on Saturday.”
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