The Golden Panthers (11-15, 4-9 Sun Belt) snapped a 13-game losing streak in the series with the Hilltoppers (20-7, 9-5 SBC). WKU returns to action on Sunday, March 6, with its first game at the 2005 Aropostale Sun Belt Conference at 6:30 p.m. (CST) at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas, against New Orleans.
FIU used an 18-3 spurt over the final four minutes to pull out the victory. Trailing 71-61 with 4:05 left after Ty Rogers hit two free throws, the Golden Panthers cut the deficit in half with a jumper in the post from Almonte and an N’Diaye trey at 2:55. Winchester answered at the other end with a basket 22 seconds later before FIU ran off 13 of the next 15 points, taking the lead for good when N’Diaye rebounded a missed free throw from Almonte and laid it in with 1:10 remaining to make the score 75-74.
Byron Burnett added a dunk with 25 seconds to go and Warren Gale sank both free throws to put the game away 15 seconds later. Anthony Winchester scored three points in the final four seconds for the final margin of victory.
The Golden Panthers shot a season-high 60 percent from the floor, hitting 68.2 percent over the final 20 minutes led by Almonte, who made 11-of-13 field-goal attempts. FIU also won the battle of the boards, 31-28 while recording 21 points off of 12 Western turnovers.
Junior Matias added 13 points and Burnett had 10 for FIU.
Courtney Lee paced the Toppers with 19 points and five rebounds , going 7-of-11 from the floor, as five WKU players scored in double figures. Winchester added 15 and five rebounds, Antonio Haynes and Elgrace Wilborn scored 12 each, and Rogers supplied 10 points off the bench.
Wilborn was 6-of-9 shooting as the Hilltoppers connected on 50.9 percent for the contest. Lee accounted for four of Western’s six three-pointers after going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The Hilltoppers got off to a fast start, with Lee scoring five points in the first minute and 50 seconds as Western led 7-2. FIU used its own 7-2 run to go ahead for the first time, 11-9, on a Matias layup at with 13:45 remaining created the first of eight lead changes.
A pair of Wilborn dunks pushed the edge back to four for the Toppers, before the Golden Panthers scored five straight points for an 18-17 lead with 7:46 to go. Danny Rumph’s three-point play at 3:40 pushed WKU’s advantage back to four, 28-24, before the teams traded four three-pointers in the final 1:56 of the opening half as the Hilltoppers took a 36-34 lead to the locker room.
