Christopher Rodriguez | Staff Writer
After defeating Missouri State 70-67, the FIU Panthers play their last two away games of the season.
They will play the Sam Houston Bearkats at 9 PM on Thursday, Feb. 26, and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at 3 PM on Saturday, Feb. 28.
FIU last faced off against Sam Houston on Jan. 17, a game in which the Panthers lost to the Bearkats 63-76. FIU’s 18 turnovers gave Sam Houston 20 points and the win..
The Bearkats are currently #2 in Conference USA’s standings with a 11-1 record at home, their only loss to the Liberty Flames .
Sam Houston’s weak point is their 8.6 three-point scoring average,
FIU’s defensive rebounding is averaging 25.5.
Senior Corey Stephenson scored his 1,000th career point in his game against Liberty and continues to average 17.7 points per game in conference play.
Senior Zawdie Jackson is averaging 12.9 points per game in conference play and 3.1 assists per game.
Final Thoughts
Considering Sam Houston’s stats, they are not the best when it comes to shooting behind the three-point line. If FIU prevents them from going inside and instead lets them shoot outside on the perimeter, the Panthers will have a chance. FIU needs to keep a high tempo offense by continuing to attack the basket and scoring off transition. Based on their last game, FIU was able to score 11 points against Sam Houston on the fast break.
Score Prediction
FIU Panthers: 85
Sam Houston Bearkats: 78
On February 14, FIU defeated Louisiana Tech (77-64) at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Senior Hamed “Larry” Olayinka had 17 total rebounds, setting a new career high.
Freshman Eric Dibami dominated the post against the Bulldogs, scoring 10 points under the basket.
FIU was an efficient 10-22 behind the 3-point line against Louisiana Tech; Corey Stephenson, Zawdie Jackson, and Senior Ashton Williamson had a combined 3-point attempt ratio of 9-16.
Louisiana Tech is #5 in the Conference USA standings and are 13-2 at home, the two losses are from Liberty and New Mexico State. Louisiana Tech averages 12.6 turnovers per game, giving FIU the advantage considering they score 18.4 points off turnovers.
Final Thoughts
FIU will need to continue dominating the paint against Louisiana Tech, both Dibami’s and Olayinka’s ability to secure rebounds while scoring in the post can create major problems for the Bulldogs. FIU is inconsistent with their 3-point scoring in away games, so the safe approach to scoring against Louisiana Tech would be within the perimeter.
Score Prediction
FIU Panthers: 75
Louisiana Tech: 71
About Post Author
