GAME NOTES: The New Orleans Privateers will try to continue their success on the road today, as they tangle with the Florida International Golden Panthers in Sun Belt Conference play at Pharmed Arena. The Privateers enter the tilt on a down note, as they were defeated by Western Kentucky, 73-55, at home on Wednesday. The loss put an end to the team's two-game win streak and dropped it to 14-6 overall and an even 4-4 in conference play. UNO however, now heads out to the road where it has had a lot of success this season, winning six of seven outings, including two in a row. As for FIU, it dropped to 0-7 on the road following a 68-59 setback at Arkansas State on Thursday. It was the fourth straight loss by the Panthers, who slipped to 5-13 overall and 2-6 in conference play. The team now returns back home, where it has gone just 5-6 overall, but 2-1 against league foes. Today's contest marks the 16th all-time meeting between UNO and FIU, with the Privateers holding an 8-7 edge in the series.

UNO shot a sub par 34.7 percent from the field and missed all 10 of its long- range attempts in a loss to WKU earlier on in the week. The team converted a solid 21-of-26 free-throw tries, but it was dominated on the boards, 38-24. Bo McCalebb paced the Privateers in defeat with 21 points, while Kendall Dykes had 17 points and four steals. For the season, McCalebb ranks among the top scorers in the nation with an average of 22.2 ppg. He has converted 81.5 percent of his 119 free-throw attempts and his 46 steals are also a team-best. Dykes is a distant second at 13.7 ppg, but he leads all players in rebounding with 5.5 rpg. Overall, UNO is averaging a solid 75.1 ppg on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 75.9 percent at the charity stripe.

FIU turned the ball over 21 times and made just 37.0 percent of its attempts from the floor in a loss at Arkansas State on Thursday. The Panthers were also outdone from beyond the arc, hitting on just 2-of-7 attempts compared to a 7- of-10 effort by Arkansas State. Alex Galindo guided the team in the setback with 14 points and eight boards, while Russell Hicks finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. For the season, Hicks tops the roster in scoring at 13.2 ppg and he is also grabbing 6.6 rpg and shooting 57.0 percent from the floor. Galindo is tied with Hicks for the team-lead in rebounding at 6.6 rpg and he ranks second in scoring with 12.5 ppg. As a whole, FIU is scoring 65.8 ppg this season, but it has had trouble hanging onto the ball, committing 19.1 turnovers per game.

The Privateers have been better on the road than at home and with a big performance from McCalebb, they should be able to continue that success today.