Missouri State Bears (14-17, 8-12 CUSA) vs. Florida International Panthers (15-16, 8-12 CUSA)
Huntsville, Alabama; Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Florida International faces Missouri State in the CUSA Tournament.
The Panthers are 8-12 against CUSA opponents and 7-4 in non-conference play. Florida International scores 80.9 points while outscoring opponents by 2.9 points per game.
The Bears’ record in CUSA play is 8-12. Missouri State is fourth in the CUSA with 14.4 assists per game led by Keith Palek III averaging 3.5.
Florida International is shooting 45.7% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 45.3% Missouri State allows to opponents. Missouri State averages 7.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 fewer made shots on average than the 9.6 per game Florida International allows.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Panthers won 70-67 in the last matchup on Feb. 21. Julian Mackey led the Panthers with 22 points, and Kobi Williams led the Bears with 25 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Corey Stephenson is scoring 17.8 points per game and averaging 6.2 rebounds for the Panthers. Zawdie Jackson is averaging 14.8 points and 2.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Williams is shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc with 2.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Bears, while averaging 14.7 points. Palek is averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 5-5, averaging 77.0 points, 33.2 rebounds, 12.5 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.9 points per game.
Bears: 2-8, averaging 75.0 points, 29.2 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.9 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
