Friday, March 7, 2003

Defense is the key in FIU's 62-45 win over New Orleans at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament

IU defeats New Orleans, 62-45, in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Bowling Green, KY. FIU will now face host Western Kentucky tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) in the quarterfinals.

Junior Matias scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead three Golden Panthers in double figure points. Matias added four steals and two blocks, while playing only 27 minutes.

Fab Fisher scored 15 points and Carlos Morban added 10 to round out the Golden Panthers in double figures.

FIU came into the game, number one in the conference in scoring defense and certainly proved that was no fluke, holding New Orleans to its lowest output of the season.

Junior Matias started the game after missing the past two games, but left after three minutes limping due to his ankle. He would return later in the half and played the rest of the way.

FIU jumped out to a 19-11 advantage, in part to six points by Morban and five by Matias. The Privateers would come back to tie the game at 21 with five-minutes to play in the first half.

Fisher nailed a three-pointer to up the FIU lead to 26-23. Eulis Baez would close out the Golden Panther scoring, hitting a jumper in the paint, to give FIU a 28-24 advantage going into halftime.

In the first half, FIU shot a sizzling 57.9-percent (11-for-19) from the floor, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. The Privateers was 41.7-percent (10-for-24) in their shot attempts.

FIU dominated the second half with defense giving up only 21 points. The Golden Panthers held UNO to one field goal in the first 13-minutes and two in the first 17-minutes and 35-seconds.

FIU took control midway through the final stanza, holding UNO scoreless for five minutes, using a 9-0 run to take a 44-31 lead with eight minutes to play.

Nikola Novakovic hit his first three-pointer of the year, as time expired on the shot clock to help the run.

Junior Matias then put the game out of reach, as he nailed two treys in scoring ten consecutive points giving the Golden Panther a 52-36 advantage.

Fab Fisher would close out the game hitting all six of his free-throw attempts for the 62-45 win. Fisher is now 18-for-18 on his attempts from the charity stripe in the final two minutes of a game.

FIU shot 51.2-percent (22-for-43) for the game and held New Orleans to 35.7-percent (15-for-42).

The tournament win was the second of head coach Donnie Marsh's career, defeating Denver in the 2001 SBC Tournament.

"It was a physical, tough game," said Marsh. "I am extremely proud of our players. We found away to dig and scrap for the win."

FIU runs its record to 8-20, while New Orleans ends the season at 15-14.

The Golden Panthers lost both games against Western Kentucky during the season, including a 63-43 loss in Bowling Green on January 30.

Quotes from the post game press conference
Head Coach Donnie Marsh:
"We tried to double (UNO forward) Victor Brown every time he touched it. I was impressed with how we took him out of the game."

"Western Kentucky is a terrific team. We played them tight in Bowling Green. This is why we play (for this type of game)."

"The game against the Hilltoppers needs to be in the mid-50s to low 60s (scoring). I don't think we can keep up with them if its a high-scoring affair."

Guard Junior Matias:
"I played with a lot of pain, but I had to be in the game to help my team. Western is one of the best teams in the conference, we look forward to the challenge."

Guard Fab Fisher:
It's been a see-saw season, with injuries and suspensions. We knew we had to come together as a team to get the win."