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Saturday, January 26, 2002
FIU makes it two straight
with run-away victory over New Orleans
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photo by Geoff Anderson
Nik Novakovic draws a
crowd of New Orleans defenders going up for two of his eight
points in 16 minutes of work as the Golden Panthers win their
second-straight Sun Belt Conference game and even their record
at 4-4.
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 odrigo Viegas
and Slavcho
Slavtchev each scored a team-high 12 points and Taurance
Johnson added 11 points and 10 rebounds as FIU beat New Orleans,
69-55, Saturday night in Miami.
The win was the second straight for FIU and raised its season
record to 10-12, while evening its Sun Belt Conference record
at 4-4.
Hector Romero led UNO with 21 points and 16 rebounds
for his conference-leading 15th double-double of the season but
it wasn't enough as the Privateers (9-12, 3-5 SBC) saw their
season-high four-game win streak snapped.
FIU controlled the action in the early going, leading by 17-10
on a jumper by Nik
Novakovic, eight minutes in. But six-straight points
by Romero and a three-pointer by Kyle Buggs with 7:50
to play, gave the Privateers their first, and only, lead of the
game, 19-17.
But from that point on, for the remainder of the half, it
was all FIU. A Viegas bucket tied the score and started a 13-1
run that lasted the final 6:44 of the period. The Golden Panthers
were up 30-20 at the intermission, then opened the second half
by scoring eight straight, giving themselves a 38-20 advantage
with about 17 minutes to play.
FIU grabbed its biggest lead of the night, a 25-point, 59-34
advantage on a 3-point basket by Carlos
Morban, who finished the night with 10 points, seven
assists, four steals and only one turnover from his point guard
position.
UNO tried to get back in the game by sending FIU to the free
throw line, and the Golden Panthers converted just seven of 16
from the charity stripe down the stretch, but it was too little,
too late as the Privateers could not get to within single digits.
"The kids are finally beginning to trust one another
and that's a long, hard process," said FIU head coach Donnie Marsh.
"Guys are stepping up and making contributions. Everyone
of them has something different to bring to the table and that's
important if this team is going to be successful."
One player that stepped up was Slavtchev who came off the
bench and hit four straight 3-point attempts in seven minutes
of play. He hit two over the final two-and-a-half minutes of
the first half, then helped put the game out of reach in the
second half with two more from long range that gave FIU its first
20-point lead, 51-31, with 7:50 to play.
The Golden Panthers now go on the road for three straight
with their first stop in Bowling Green, Ky. next Thursday and
a date with East Division leader Western Kentucky. FIU does not
return to Golden Panther Arena until Saturday, Feb. 9 and its
final home game of the season against league-rival Louisiana-Lafayette. |