David Drucker/Contributing Writer

The men’s basketball team suffered a 74-63 defeat at the hands of the University of Texas at San Antonio on Thursday. Florida International University (11-11, 4-5 in Conference USA) blew a 35-26 halftime lead and committed 26 turnovers in the loss.

Junior Adrian Diaz had himself another impressive double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on 11-17 shooting. He had good support in the first half too; senior guard Dennis Mavin scored 11 points on 4-5 shooting and redshirt sophomore Ray Rodriguez hit back-to-back three-pointers in the first twenty minutes.

The second half was a different story for the Panthers. A Roadrunner press began to cause trouble for FIU and forced them to turn the ball over on offensive possessions. UTSA went on to outscore the Panthers in this half by a score of 48-28.

Head Coach Anthony Evans credited the second-half collapse to turnovers and missed assignments on defensive.

“They were putting some pressure on us and we didn’t handle it great, but it was the unforced turnovers that hurt us because they led to baskets,” said Evans.

The Panthers will play the last game of their three-game home stand when they welcome the University of Texas at El Paso Miners to FIU Arena. Tip-off will take place at 5:30 p.m.