Liberty Defeats FIU in CUSA Season Opener in Overtime

---

MIAMI, FL – It was regarded as the biggest game of the year and perhaps even FIU’s biggest match in a while. The Liberty Flames were seen as a favorite to repeat as Conference USA champions and return to the March Madness tournament.

The FIU Panthers truly tested them on the court today in a game that featured 17 ties and 11 lead changes. Ultimately, the CUSA season opener ended in a 97-94 overtime victory for Liberty over FIU.

“I think this is what Conference USA play is all about,” said head coach Jeremy Ballard. “There are going to be battles every single night, and we knew today would be a fiercely fought game.”

“We have a ton of respect for Liberty, for Coach McKay, and for their players, especially for the continuity they have maintained, which is rare in today’s college basketball world. It was a hard-fought game.”

“I was disappointed that we were down eight at halftime because I felt we hurt ourselves in the first half, but I was really proud of our effort to storm back in the second half.”

First Half Opponent Scoring Runs Hurt Panthers

The Panthers had their leads in the first half, but their largest lead was only by four. FIU had a 23-19 lead at the 8:32 mark. Liberty then went on a 12-2 run in three minutes.

THAT'S A GROWN MAN BUCKET RIGHT THERE 💪@eric_dibami pic.twitter.com/jpZysJaWuX

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 28, 2025

Julian Mackey responded with a jumper to make it just a 31-29 deficit. However, the Flames responded by closing the half on a 10-4 run. Liberty entered halftime with an 8-point 41-33 lead.

Panthers Respond in the Second Half but Lose Lead

FIU started off the 2nd half on a bang, thanks to Harry Olayinka, who scored five straight points. The Panthers outshot Liberty 11-3 to start the half and tied the game at 44.

FIRE US ALL THE WAY UP, LARRY! 🗣️@olayhamed pic.twitter.com/MPNoF6I4bM

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 28, 2025

Olayinka didn’t stop there, scoring several tip-in layups to give FIU the 52-49 lead at 12:42. Thiago Sucatzky made some noise later on in the half with back-to-back three pointers, giving FIU a huge 7-point lead with 10:30 left.

THAT IS SO CLUTCH THIAGO pic.twitter.com/NSOcY75qZ2

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 28, 2025

FIU then had its biggest lead of the day thanks to a Corey Stephenson three-pointer, making it 63-55. From here, both teams would trade baskets for several minutes.

Perhaps, the turning point for FIU in this game occurred here. After Eric Dibami’s layup to make it 72-69, they didn’t score another field goal basket until Zawdie Jackson did so four minutes later with a driving layup. FIU then retook the lead at 81-80 with barely a minute left.

Their inability to score asides from the charity stripe during that time allowed Liberty to easily get back in this game.

With 21 seconds to go, Dibami got fouled and made his first free throw shot, but missed his second one, which proved to be costly. Liberty then tied it up at 82 in the paint. Eric Dibami had a chance to win the game with a layup, but it just missed the net.

FIU Loses Grip in Overtime

Zawdie Jackson scored on a driving layup to open up the overtime period and then made a stepback jumper to give FIU the lead at 91-89 with a minute and a half left.

OH MY ZAWDIE WITH THE STEP BACK FOR THE LEAD!!!@zawdie1 pic.twitter.com/M5NsMAysGV

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 28, 2025

However, they lost the game due to the outcomes of the next possessions. FIU missed shots and committed turnovers when they couldn’t afford to.

Corey Stephenson made a three-pointer with two seconds left to cut the deficit to one, but the Flames made their next two free throws. Jackson was left with having to make an insane inbounds pass under pressure, which resulted in getting intercepted.

Four Players Score in Double Digits

Dibami scored a season best of 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting. He also contributed with nine rebounds, becoming the first freshman with such figures since Jerome Frink had 22 and 10 on November 11, 2012. Stephenson had his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Olayinka had the best +/- out of any Panther with a 13, but he fouled out late in the 2nd half. He had 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists at the time. Jackson finished with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Brit Harris scored his 1,000th point in today’s contest.

Timeout
Liberty 66 | FIU 70 | 6:43 2nd

With his last basket, Brit Harris now has 1,000 career points#FIU | #Panthers | #PawsUp

— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) December 28, 2025

Thoughts

Both teams excelled on offense. Liberty shot 51% and FIU shot 49% so it was fairly close in that regard. On defense, both teams showed their share of sloppiness. There was a combined total of 24 turnovers, with FIU contributing to 14 of them. Fortunately for them, the points off turnovers didn’t seem to impact the game much as Liberty won that battle by just 2 points.

It was impressive to see FIU dominate the paint the way they did against such a strong opponent. Liberty was outscored 56-40. FIU also grabbed more rebounds, 45-31. The Panthers had more lead time than the Flames, but they responded better when the game was tied. Liberty dished out more assists than FIU, 22-12.

On Deck

FIU welcomes New Mexico State this Saturday at 12:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

About Post Author