Florida International 63, Arkansas-Little Rock 52
Florida International had four players score in double figures and pulled away in the last eight minutes to post a 63-52 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock in a Sun Belt Conference game Thursday night.
The Panthers (15-12, 10-8) led by four points at the half and by five about 12 minutes into the second half before pulling away.
Cameron Bell paced the Panthers with 17 points off the bench. Jerome Frink scored 11 points despite behind hampered by foul problems late in the game and Deric Hill added 12.
Tymell Murphy was the fourth player in double figures for FIU with 11 points.
Michael Javes and John Gillon had 12 points each for Arkansas-Little Rock (15-13, 9-8).
The Panthers won despite making 24 turnovers in the sloppily played game. They made up for it by shooting 46.8 percent from the field and forcing the visitors, who shot only 39.3 percent from the field, into 21.
The win gave FIU a split of the season series and a 10-3 record at home, the best home record since 1997-98 when the Panthers finished 13-0. With 15 wins, FIU is assured of at least its first .500 season since 1999-2000 when it was 16-14.
