FRISCO, Texas – The seventh-seeded FIU men's basketball team erased a 20-point deficit on Wednesday night to force overtime against Louisiana Tech in the first round of the C-USA Men's Basketball Championship presented by TotalCare, though, the Panthers came up short over the final frame to fall 81-76 at the Ford Center at The Star. Denver Jones and Arturo Dean paced FIU with 25 and 21 points, respectively, as the Panthers conclude the season 14-18 overall and 8-12 in the Conference USA.
Jones, a C-USA First Team selection, connected on 10-of-23, including four 3-pointers, en route to his 17th 20-point performance of the season, in addition to recording five rebounds in 42 minutes.