This afternoon featured a Saturday Conference USA Showdown between the Sam Houston St. Bearkats and the Florida International (FIU) Panthers.

Sam Houston set the tone early and led from the opening minutes, relying on strong defense and timely shooting to control the game. Back-to-back threes from Sam Houston’s Jacobe Coleman who came off the bench helped extend the lead and forced FIU to play catch-up for most of the night. The Panthers didn’t back down, as Corey Stephenson set the tone defensively, helping FIU close the gap. At halftime, the Vice City Cats had battled back and trailed by just one, 35–34.

For FIU, Julian Mackey was the standout, putting together an impressive performance with 23 points, keeping the Panthers within striking distance and providing a steady scoring presence throughout the game. FIU showed fight down the stretch, but turnovers and Sam Houston’s ability to hit big shots proved to be the difference.

Final Score: Sam Houston 76, FIU 63. Sam Houston has secured their second consecutive CUSA Road victory, while FIU falls to a three game losing streak.

After the game, Sam Houston St head coach Chris Mudge praised his team’s effort, saying, “Amazing. They continue to fight every day and learn more and more every day to work together as a team.”

The Bearkats of Sam Houston have a much needed few days off, before preparing to host Kennesaw St on Wednesday, Jan. 21 (7:30 tipoff). As for FIU, the Panthers prepare for a lengthy week of road trips, as they’ll face UTep on Thursday, January 22 (9:00 tipoff) and New Mexico State on Saturday, January 26 (2:00 PM tipoff).

Cover Photo Credits: MiaBella LoBracco, NewEraPrep Photographer