Can Florida International Panthers Bounce Back After Jacksonville Setback?
The Florida International Panthers faced a challenging contest against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, culminating in a 63-70 defeat. The Panthers now stand at 0-1, while the Gamecocks have kicked off their season with a 1-0 record.
In an intense conference game at Pete Mathews Coliseum, the Panthers showed promise but couldn't overcome the home team's advantage. Despite trailing with only 28 points to the Gamecocks' commanding 40 by halftime, they managed to close the gap slightly in the second half by adding another 35 points to their tally. However, it wasn't enough to surpass Jacksonville State's total of 70.
The Panthers displayed a solid defensive effort with a total of four blocks and an impressive count of eleven steals throughout the game. Their offensive efforts were led by contributions across the board, as evidenced by their eleven assists. They also excelled in converting turnovers into points, scoring twenty-one off turnovers compared to twelve for Jacksonville State.
Florida International was particularly effective inside, notching thirty-eight points in paint and securing seven offensive rebounds which contributed to eleven second-chance points. However, shooting from beyond the arc proved challenging for them; they made just three out of seventeen three-point attempts resulting in an eighteen percent success rate from distance.
On free throws, they shot sixty-seven percent making twelve out of eighteen attempts which is respectable but still left room for improvement especially when compared to Jacksonville State's seventy-nine percent accuracy from the line.
The Gamecocks capitalized on their size advantage with forty-four total rebounds—twenty-eight defensive and nine offensive—compared to twenty-seven by Florida International. This rebounding edge helped them maintain control despite committing more turnovers than FIU (twenty vs eight).
Jacksonville State also had better shooting percentages across all categories: fifty-three percent on two-pointers and forty-six percent overall field goal percentage contrasted with Florida International's forty-nine and forty percent respectively.
Looking ahead after this setback on foreign ground, fans can mark their calendars for when Florida International will host New Mexico State Aggies at Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami on January 11th at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. The game will be available for viewing on ESPN+ internet broadcast networks ensuring that supporters won’t miss any action as FIU aims to bounce back from this loss.