Jamil Ferrer | Jan 15, 2026
The Florida International University Panthers came up short in a C-USA battle on the road against Kennesaw State Owls Wednesday night, at the KSU Convocation Center.
In a crowd of 1,908 fans in attendance, the Panthers tried to sweep the disadvantage of being visitors under the rug, yet fell short in a 89-86 defeat.
Leading scorers Zawdie Jackson (FIU) who had 25 points on 7/20 shooting, 4 rebounds and 3 assists and Tre Simpson (KSU) with 28 points on 10/19 shooting and 4 rebounds both put up incredible numbers as they tried to keep their teams alive.
Zawdie Jackson’s strong start, scoring seven of the first 12 points for the Panthers in a 12-0 run gave the Panthers a much needed boost.
Jamil Ferrer | Jan 15, 2026
The Florida International University Panthers came up short in a C-USA battle on the road against Kennesaw State Owls Wednesday night, at the KSU Convocation Center.
In a crowd of 1,908 fans in attendance, the Panthers tried to sweep the disadvantage of being visitors under the rug, yet fell short in a 89-86 defeat.
Leading scorers Zawdie Jackson (FIU) who had 25 points on 7/20 shooting, 4 rebounds and 3 assists and Tre Simpson (KSU) with 28 points on 10/19 shooting and 4 rebounds both put up incredible numbers as they tried to keep their teams alive.
Zawdie Jackson’s strong start, scoring seven of the first 12 points for the Panthers in a 12-0 run gave the Panthers a much needed boost.
Yet, the Owls began to find their rhythm as they made the game 18-16 before anything got out of control.
The game stayed in the hands of FIU as they led 51-47 by the half. As the second half began, the Panthers went on a run as Guard Ashton Williamson (FIU) hit a three to expand the lead to eight.
Everything was going in FIU’s favor as they led 71-59, until the final ten minutes of regulation.
The Owls began to make a late game comeback as the Panthers failed to execute. FIU still led by six with three minutes left, but failed to seal the deal.
Kennesaw State Guard RJ Johnson, who also had an outstanding performance with 26 points and 7 assists, had the lead changing basket to put the Owls up 1 with a minute to go.
In return, The Panthers weren’t able to score in response, resulting in losing 89-86 on the road.
FIU falls to 9-8 and 10th in Conference USA, while Kennesaw State moves up to 11-6, and 5th in Conference USA.
Photo Credit : FIU Athletics
