GAME NOTES: Intrastate and Conference USA rivals collide on Tuesday at FIU Arena as the Florida Atlantic Owls travel to face the FIU Panthers.

Florida Atlantic comes into the matchup having lost its last two games, and six of its previous seven matchups altogether. The Owls were taken down by Charlotte (86-61) and Old Dominion (68-57) in their last two outings, which set the team back to a mere 1-6 in Conference USA play. On the road, FAU is just 2-8 this season.

FIU put a stop to a two-game slide of its own with a 78-70 victory over Charlotte on Saturday. The win boosted the Panthers to an even 10-10 on the season, with a 3-4 mark against conference competition. At FIU Arena, the Panthers are 4-1 so far.

This meeting will represent the 26th all-time between the two in-state rivals. FIU leads the series 20-15, and in Miami the Panthers own a 13-7 advantage over the Owls. FIU took a tight 62-60 decision on Jan. 4 in Boca Raton, as the team seeks the regular-season sweep.

Florida Atlantic took a one-point advantage into the locker room at halftime against Old Dominion on Saturday, but things went south quite fast for the Owls in the second period, as ODU connected on 51.7 percent of its field-goal attempts and FAU hit on just 28 percent from the floor in the frame, as the Monarchs came roaring back for the easy win. Solomon Poole scored a team-high 15 points before he fouled out of the contest, while Justin Massey chipped in 11 points and Marquan Botley added in 10 points with five assists. Kelvin Penn turned in only six points, but the big man nabbed a team-best 12 rebounds.

Since his return to the court, Poole has had a huge impact for the Owls, who just can't seem to find the connection as a team. Poole leads FAU in scoring, averaging 15.2 ppg in just 11 games played. Botley follows Poole in the scoring department at 13.1 ppg, while Jackson Trapp, who missed last game and is questionable to play Tuesday with a foot injury, checks in at third with 11.4 ppg. Florida Atlantic ranks near the bottom of Conference USA in scoring offense, netting only 63.8 ppg on 42.1 percent shooting. Penn is a big help to the team underneath the basket, averaging 7.2 rpg with 30 blocked shots.

Thanks to a huge first half, in which FIU shot 64.3 percent from the floor, the Panthers were able to take a 44-31 lead into the intermission over Charlotte on Saturday. That lead allowed FIU to give a little leeway to the 49ers in the second half, while the Panthers were still able to hold on for the win. Dennis Mavin scored 24 points to pace the team, while Adrian Diaz tallied a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Dominique Williams chipped in with 13 points off the bench for FIU, adding in eight boards.

Mavin, who averages 17.5 ppg this season, leads FIU in the scoring department, and is two-tenths of a point behind Western Kentucky's T.J. Price for the lead in the conference rankings after Mavin sat in first for a large majority of the season. He and Diaz (13.2 ppg) haven't been able to keep an FIU offense above water, though. The Panthers as a unit are averaging just 62.5 ppg, which ranks 11th in the conference. The team's defense has tried to keep pace, allowing opponents to net only 63.2 ppg on 40 percent shooting. FIU ranks third in the league in scoring defense. Diaz, who leads the Panthers with 6.6 rpg, will be tasked with controlling Penn under the basket.

Although FIU isn't known this season for its strong offense, the Panthers were able to put up 78 points against Charlotte, and will look to duplicate that offensive success at home against FAU.