CEDAR CITY, Utah — FIU’s men’s basketball program suffered a 80-75 setback on the road in non-conference play at Southern Utah on Saturday evening.
The Panthers (0-2) trailed by just two at halftime, but the Thunderbirds (2-0) outscored FIU by four in the second half to claim the five-point win. The Panthers were down by double-digits late, but used their high-pressure defense to climb back into the game in the final two minutes.
Jayden Brewer scored 22 points to lead the FIU attack and added seven rebounds. Travis Gray had another solid performance off the bench with 14 points 23 minutes, knocking down two threes.
Ashton Williamson also had 14 points and a team-high five assists, playing nearly 30 minutes as a reserve. Vianney Salatchoum chipped in 10 points and five rebounds. Dashon Gittens dealt with foul trouble, but finished with three steals. Jonathan Aybar also battled foul trouble and had nine total points.
As a team, FIU forced 24 turnovers and converted those into 28 points. The Panthers’ bench scored 25 points in the game.
Southern Utah shot 54.3 percent from the field, including 69.6 percent in the second half. The game featured 12 lead changes, many of which occurred in a back-and-forth first half.
FIU attacked the offensive glass, finishing with 14 offensive rebounds.
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FIU will take on Florida National in its home opener on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
