By Malcolm Shields/ Staff Writer
Isiah Thomas applied a motto that the Panthers implemented from the beginning of the season-defense would lead to their offense. On Dec. 31, that motto held true as the Panthers displayed one of its best defensive efforts on the season, forcing Western Kentucky into 17 turnovers and 34.5 percent shooting, as they defeated the Hilltoppers 81-63.
Jeremy Allen led FIU with 22 points five rebounds and four steals. Phil Taylor finished with 20 points and five assists. Dominique Ferguson added 15 points and seven rebounds for FIU.
“We’ve been playing better out on the road. We just haven’t completed the game,” Thomas said. “Today we were able to finish.”
If defense is your forte, then the first half was the brand of basketball you would want to watch. The utilization of the 2-3 zone by the Panthers gave problems to the Hilltoppers throughout the entire first half.
“I just put my hands up and sometimes I get steals,” Allen said of his defense. Allen also gave credit to his other teammates on their success on defense. “They are holding us down.”
Down 13-11 midway in the opening half, the Panthers went on a 9-3 run to take a 20-16 lead with 5:43 remaining. The Hilltoppers countered with couple of baskets off of FIU turnovers to take a 22-21 lead late in the half.
Western Kentucky (5-10, 1-1 SBC) tied the game at 25 late in the half via consecutive trips to the free throw line by Nigel Snipes. Two late free-throws by Taylor staked the Panthers to a 27-25 lead at the break. Allen paced the Panthers offensively in the half with nine points and four rebounds.
FIU (4-10, 1-1 SBC) struggled shooting from the field in the first half, finishing 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the floor. But the Panthers shot 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. The team stayed active on the defensive end as they held Western Kentucky to 26.1 percent shooting from the field. The Hilltoppers kept the game close by going a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.
FIU’s solid passing in their half-court sets combined with the consistent defensive pressure extended the Panthers lead to 41-31 to begin the second half. Taylor, who had a quiet first half scoring with two points, came out shooting strong from the field.
“I just focused on not trying to force anything and get my teammates the ball,” Taylor said. “The most important thing about being the point-guard is set the tempo and I looked for my scoring within the offense.” Taylor scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and shot 10-of-10 from the foul line in the second half.
Western Kentucky made a charge in the second half to cut the deficit to 46-41. Derrick Gordon and Kahili McDonald’s scoring kept the Hilltoppers close. Allen was constant for the Panthers throughout the game, eliminating any hopes of a Hilltoper comeback with four consecutive points that gave FIU a nine-point advantage.
“I was just trying to be patient,” Allen said. “[I] let the game come to me, take open shots and let the offense come.”
FIU’s defense forced the Hilltoppers into one-shot possessions and turnovers late in the game. The Panthers, who have struggled to close out games down the stretch, were able to close out the Hilltoppers. A couple of converted free-throws late in the game due to their execution in their offensive sets sealed the win at E.A. Diddle Arena.
“I thought the way that we took care of the basketball led to us getting shot attempts up and getting free-throw attempts up,” Thomas said. “If we take care of the basketball, we usually do well.”
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