Tropical hoops roundup: FIU bounces back; FAU suffers setback; Miami deserves ranking

The Florida International Panthers broke a five-game losing streak on Saturday on the road with an 81-78 win over New Mexico State.

Corey Stephenson carried the Panthers with a 25-point and 12-rebound performance. He shot 7-of-15 from the floor, including 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Julian Mackey scored 12 points on 3-of-6 from the three-point line, while both Zawdie Jackson and Ashton Williamson each added 10 points for FIU, which returned to .500 (10-10, 3-6) on the season.

The Aggies were led by Elijah Elliot, who scored a game-high 26 points on 7-of-16 shooting, and Jemel Jones (15 points). The Aggies outshot the Panthers from the three-point line but made three fewer baskets despite 10 more attempts.

Stephenson came up clutch in the final minute for FIU. He tied the game 78-78 with a three-point jump shot from 26 feet and secured the win with three free throws. He was responsible for all of FIU’s 10 points within the final five minutes.

The Panthers first established a double-digit lead in the first half after a 10-4 run to go up 33-23 five minutes before halftime. FIU went into intermission leading 40-31 after a three-pointer by Williamson.

The Panthers briefly return home on Wednesday to take on Jacksonville State before going back on the road to open February.

FAU suffers setback at South Florida

In the latest episode of a new in-state rivalry in the American Athletic Conference, Florida Atlantic falls on the road against South Florida 89-75 on Sunday. The Owls’ loss snaps their five-game winning streak.

The Owls (14-7, 6-2) remain the only team in the region to lead their conference, although their lead in the AAC is very slim. Only a half-game separates FAU from Tulsa, Temple, Charlotte, and USF at the top of the standings.

The Owls were led by star sophomore Devin Vanterpool, who scored 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting and 4-of-7 from the three-point line. Kanaan Carlyle scored 16 points, Josiah Parker added 13 and Isaiah Elohim chipped in 11 points for the Owls, who collectively made 27-of-66 (41%) field goals, shot 7-of-22 from three, and were 14-of-19 from the free throw line.

South Florida had five players score double digits, including Wes Enid, who scored 19 points with five three-point baskets. The Bulls had similar success from the arc but, overall, made 3 more field goals and 8 more free throws than FAU.

FAU’s largest lead came in the final minutes of the first half. A layup from Parker put the Owls up 36-28 with 1:15 to go. CJ Brown made a pair of free throws and Enis shot a three-pointer to put USF within three at halftime.

The game remained close early in the second half, as a layup from Parker had FAU leading 43-42 with 16:32 remaining. The Bulls swiftly went on to outscore the Owls 25-13, as a dunk from Izaiyah Nelson put them up 67-56 with 8:41 left in the game. The Bulls maintained their double-digit lead throughout the remainder of the second half.

FAU travels to Memphis on Thursday before returning home to host East Carolina on Feb. 1 and Tulsa on Feb. 4.

Miami deserves top 25 ranking

The Miami Hurricanes improved to 16-4 after an 85-76 road win against Syracuse on Saturday. Miami (5-2) is tied with Virginia for third place in the ACC behind Clemson (7-1) and Duke (7-0).

Malik Reneau led the Canes with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson added 16 points each and Tru Washington chipped in 14 points.

Miami is ahead of No. 22 North Carolina and No. 23 Louisville in the ACC standings, though the Canes haven’t played them yet. UM will host UNC on Feb. 10 and close out the regular season at home against Louisville on March 7.

Both UNC and Louisville are the only two ranked teams with five losses. Ranked wins against Kansas, Virginia, and Kentucky have kept UNC among the top 25. The Tar Heels host No. 5 Duke on Feb. 7 before traveling to Miami, which may bode well for the Canes.

Louisville is 2-3 against ranked teams this season, but defeating Kentucky and Indiana is enough to keep the Cardinals in the top 25 heading into Monday’s road game against Duke.

Miami’s schedule is keeping the Hurricanes outside the top 25 until they further prove themselves in the ACC. They had two opportunities against the top 10 (No. 10 Florida and No. 9 BYU) and fell short both times. Defeating Ole Miss and Georgetown helped stave off the notion of Miami feasting on mid-majors to boost its record leading up to conference play.

The Hurricanes didn’t just start the season with a new head coach but also a new team filled with experienced transfers. Reneau leads the Canes with 19.7 points per game after spending his first three years at Indiana. Donaldson is with his third team (Auburn and Michigan) in his fourth year and is averaging a career high 16 ppg. Junior Tru Washington, coming over from New Mexico, is averaging 11.8 ppg, and senior center Ernest Udeh Jr. (Kansas and TCU) is providing the defense with 10 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game.

The lone true freshman starter, Shelton Henderson, is also making an impact with 14.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 62.2 from the floor. Jai Lucas recruited Henderson at Duke before taking him to Miami with him and this is proof of his ability to assemble a squad through both high school recruiting and the transfer portal.

The Hurricanes host Stanford on Wednesday and close out the month against California on Jan. 31.