Six Players Score Double Digits to help Panthers beat FGCU

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MIAMI, FL – For the first time since 2021, FIU took care of business on the court against FGCU. After falling short in previous matchups, it took a lot of quality shots to finally walk away with the W. Four of five starters and six players overall scored in double digits to help propel the Panthers past the Eagles in an 89-83 home victory.

FIU Holds Lead for Nearly the Entirety of Game

The Panthers had a lead time of 34:27 in this contest. FGCU started strong with a 7-2 lead, but then FIU found themselves in front with a 10-0 run after a Corey Stephenson three-pointer plus the and-one. It was 12-7 at 16:16.

THAT'S A BAAAAD MANNNN RIGHT THERE 😱@STBCOREY pic.twitter.com/q8rjvhoi6j

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 4, 2025

That lead would then grow to 10. It was 27-17 at 11:44 thanks to a Julian Mackey three-point shot. FGCU, though, fought back and outscored the Panthers in under five minutes to retake the lead, making it 34-33 with 5:57 left.

how in the world did zawdie get that one to go? 🪄@zawdie1 pic.twitter.com/sNKhZXGs40

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 4, 2025

The game was tied a couple of times after that, but the Panthers quickly got back into rhythm and scored the half’s last six points. Zawdie Jackson’s three-pointer was the last basket, and FIU entered halftime with a 44-38 advantage.

In the 2nd half, the Panthers continued to extend their lead. Brit Harris’ three at the 13:10 mark made it 56-44, which was their largest lead at the time.

MONEYYYYYYYY 🫰@brita1_ pic.twitter.com/xthoxCVZCv

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 4, 2025

The Eagles cut the lead down to five mid-way through the half, but FIU responded with a 7-0 run, capped off by another Harris three-pointer. The Panthers were up 68-56 with 8:18 left.

For the last 6:14 of the game, FIU didn’t score a single FG. Instead, they scored their final 17 points at the charity stripe. Free throw shots were something that FIU had been struggling with early this season, but they turned one of their weaknesses into a strength in clutch time. FIU finished 30/35 (86%) at the free-throw line.

Balanced Scoring Attack

Jackson led the way with 20 points. 10 of those points came at the charity stripe, and he added a couple of three-pointers. It was his 46th career 20-point game.

“At the free-throw line, it’s just you and the rim, so you have to trust yourself. That’s what I tried to do. I felt like that was where I could help my team. In the last six minutes, we didn’t really make any field goals, so being aggressive and getting to the free-throw line was important when nobody was guarding you. It’s just you and the rim.”

Stephenson was effective as well, scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He scored twice from the three-point line and scored six points at the line.

“We work on that in practice, and we locked in when we went to the free-throw line. We know that’s been a big reason we’ve struggled this year, and we’ve lost a couple of games because of it. So, like I said to a couple of our leaders, we’re not going to lose again because of free throws and rebounding. We went up there and did what we were supposed to do.”

Mackey scored 13 points and showed his presence on the court. He tallied four assists and had three steals. Harris scored 12 points, including three from behind the arc, and dished out three assists.

Eric Dibami scored 10 points and was on the grind defensively. He grabbed six rebounds and had a pair of blocks. Hamed Olayinka also scored 10 points, blocked two shots, and had a couple of steals.

Tipped that one back to Ft. Myers 🚫@olayhamed pic.twitter.com/Vcm7HyQAyg

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 4, 2025

Renewed Chapter in the Rivalry

After losing three straight games to FGCU, the Panthers’ win brought them back to an 8-8 record in the head-to-head rivalry. Their previous win against FGCU was in December 2021. Coach Jeremy Ballard is now 5-3 against the Eagles.

“It’s always sweet to beat an interstate rival, especially one that’s had a lot of success and one I think is going to win a lot of ball games and contend for a conference championship. That was really big for us. We had a tough loss to them last year, lost by one, and had a shot at the buzzer to win. Two years ago, we were up 15 in the second half and couldn’t hold on. So it felt great to lead for basically the entire game this time, and not just hold on for dear life, but stay consistent and make plays on both sides of the ball to win.”

What’s Next

FIU will play another game against an ASUN in-state rival. The Panthers will play Jacksonville for the first time since 2016 this Saturday at 2 PM at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. This game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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