MIAMI, FL – FEBRUARY 03: FIU mascot, Rory performs during a college basketball game between the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs and the Florida International University Panthers on February 3, 2018 at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, Miami, Florida. FIU defeated Louisiana Tech 71-68. (Photo by Richard C. Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Trejon Jacob scored 21 points and Antonio Daye Jr. 20 more as FIU eliminated Rice from the Conference USA tournament 85-76 on Wednesday night.
Osasumwen Osaghae blocked six shots and tossed in 17 points while grabbing eight rebounds for the fifth-seeded Panthers (19-13). Osaghae is the national leader in blocked shots and boosted his total to 122.
FIU meets No. 4 seed Charlotte in the C-USA quarterfinals on Thursday.
Drew Peterson scored a career-high 24 points for the No. 12 seed Owls (15-17). Trey Murphy III added 18 points. Ako Adams had 12 points on four 3-pointers.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
