The FIU men's basketball team outscored North Florida by 17 in the second half in extending its current winning streak to six consecutive games with an 84-69 victory on Sunday afternoon at Ocean Bank Arena.
The Panthers shot an eye-popping 66.7 percent (18-of-27) from the field in the second half, including hitting on 7-of-11 attempts from three-point range (63.6%) in the final 20 minutes.
FIU (6-1) outscored the Ospreys 48-31 in the second half, with the key run coming during an 18-5 burst that saw the Panthers run out to a 65-52 lead after being deadlocked at 47-47 with 16 minutes remaining in regulation.
The offense was sparked by a pair of freshmen as both Petar Krivokapic and Denver Jones both posting season-high scoring efforts.
Krivokapic paced FIU with a team-best 18 points, while connecting on 6-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc. Jones added 17 while making 5-of-7 attempts from the field and hitting a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line and 3-of-3 from deep.
The bench once again proved strong for the Panthers as they outscored North Florida's reserves 46-19. FIU's offense also once again showed its ball distribution prowess as it posted assists on 19-of-28 field goal attempts, led by reigning Conference USA Player of the Week Tevin Brewer who handed out eight helpers.
The Panthers overcame a sluggish start that saw them trail for a total of 13:47 in the initial 20 minutes, before taking control after the break – which saw FIU enter the locker room trailing by a deuce at 38-36.
North Florida (1-7), which entered the contest having played the second-toughest schedule nationally having featured previous games at Kentucky, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, UCLA and Arizona State, was led in defeat by Jose Placer, who registered a game-high 25 points.
UP NEXT
The Panthers continue the current four-game homestand on Wednesday, Dec. 1 vs. Florida Gulf Coast.