LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Jerome Frink scored 20 points and Tymell Murphy added 16 points and 16 rebounds as Florida International held off Louisiana-Lafayette 80-75 Thursday night in Sun Belt Conference action to win its third straight game.
The Panthers, who also defeated the Ragin' Cajuns 75-70 on Jan. 5, won back-to-back games in the series for the first time since 1998-99.
Tied at 72, Frink scored on a layup with 1:43 left, then Cameron Bell and Frink each made a pair of free throws to give the Panthers (11-8, 6-4) a 78-72 lead with 19 seconds remaining.
After Alan-Michael Thompson knocked down a trey with 11 seconds to go, Deric Hill answered with two FIU foul shots and Thompson missed a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left.
Thompson and Elfrid Payton scored 22 points apiece for Louisiana-Lafayette, which has lost six of its past seven games. Shawn Long added 21 points and 14 rebounds.
| Scoreboard | |||
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
| Florida International (11-8) « | 36 | 44 | 80 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette (7-15) | 33 | 42 | 75 |
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| Florida International Golden Panthers | |||||||
| STARTERS | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| T. Murphy, F | 39 | 8-11 | 0-4 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
| J. Frink, F | 30 | 7-14 | 5-6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| T. Akomolafe, F | 18 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| M. Smith, G | 34 | 2-14 | 4-4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| C. Bell, G | 29 | 2-5 | 4-4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| BENCH | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| D. Hill | 24 | 2-6 | 4-4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| M. Porcher Jimenez | 19 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| J. Ferrales | 6 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| I. Jurkovic | 1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 28-65 | 19-24 | 38 | 14 | 16 | 80 | |
| 43.1% | 79.2% | ||||||
| Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns | |||||||
| STARTERS | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| S. Long, F | 33 | 9-12 | 2-4 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 21 |
| E. Moore, F | 33 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| E. Payton, G | 40 | 7-14 | 5-7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 22 |
| A. Thompson, G | 38 | 7-18 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| S. Wronkoski, G | 22 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| BENCH | M | FG | FT | TR | A | PF | PTS |
| B. Lazare | 13 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| J. Soto | 9 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| K. Shepherd | 7 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Leblanc | 5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 27-58 | 9-15 | 38 | 14 | 18 | 75 | |
| 46.6% | 60% | ||||||
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