After one of their toughest losses of the year to Sam Houston, FIU Men’s Basketball needed a win to stay in the hunt for the CUSA tournament.
With a three-way tie for 10th place in the conference, the Panthers desperately needed to create some separation in the standings. The challenge ahead did not seem to faze FIU this afternoon, despite having just two road wins on the year.
Panthers Survive First Half, Lead by One
FIU enters the half up by 1 vs LA Tech🏀
Halftime Score
FIU: 41
LA Tech: 40#FIU #FIUHoops #Sportswithseb #Pawsup pic.twitter.com/BykazHc6NL— SportswithSeb🏀🏈 (@Sportswithseb) February 28, 2026
The first matchup of the season ended with a 77-64 victory for FIU, a game in which they shot 45% from behind the arc. The Panthers stuck to that gameplan, hitting six of twelve field goals from beyond the arc. FIU would jump ahead early in this one with a 10-point lead 7 minutes into the game.
Zawdie Jackson would get it going for the Panther scoring 8 of their first 20 points of the game. However, the Bulldogs would not falter, going on a 14-9 run to take a 5-point lead with just a few minutes remaining in the first half.
A back-and-forth battle in the first half’s closing minutes, FIU prevailed with a 41-40 lead going into the locker rooms.
Corey and Eric Lock The Bulldogs Away
FIU takes the lead back vs LA Tech 👀
8:02 left in the game 🏀
FIU: 60
LA Tech : 59@STBCOREY scoring the last 8 points for the Panthers 🔥 #FIU #FIUHoops #Sportswithseb #Pawsup— SportswithSeb🏀🏈 (@Sportswithseb) February 28, 2026
After the Bulldogs took their biggest lead of the afternoon with 13 minutes to play (59-52), FIU was searching for a spark to get back ahead. Corey Stephenson answered the call, leading an 8-0 run to take a 60-59 lead with 9 minutes left to play.
The heat check continued for Corey as he finished with 17 second-half points to earn the Panthers just their third road win. Bringing his night to a close, Stephenson would finish as the team’s leading scorer with 21 points.
This might have seemed like a one-man show, but that was certainly not the case. Eric Dibami would continue to apply the pressure on LA Tech, having a night of his own.
Making his biggest impact defensively, recording 3 steals, 3 blocks, and his 7th double-double of the season. LA Tech committed 19 turnovers — nearly a season high — which FIU capitalized on, converting 27 points off turnovers.
Here is what Head Coach Jeremy Ballard had to say post game:
“I’m proud of our guys for how they responded after what happened Thursday. Thursday definitely wasn’t our best performance, … For us to come back and face LA Tech, one of the best teams in the conference, at home and gut out a win after being down seven or eight points in the second half says a lot about the character of this team.”
FIU jumps to ninth place in CUSA standings after the 84-76 win, maintaining its tournament eligibility. With two home games left, the Panthers can avoid elimination and chase a conference title.
The Panthers will face Middle Tennessee at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, then close the regular season against Western Kentucky.
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