GAME NOTES: Still trying to pull out of a six-game tailspin, the Marshall Thundering Herd are desperate for a win as they head out to face the FIU Panthers in a Conference USA bout at FIU Arena Thursday.

Marshall has dropped six games in a row, and has lost 12 of its last 13 games altogether. The Herd were taken down by Charlotte in a narrow 77-72 defeat on Saturday. They start a two-game road stretch in Florida with an 0-5 mark away from home, and an 0-3 record in conference play.

FIU hasn't exactly been on fire recently. The Panthers have dropped two straight decisions to Middle Tennessee (65-52) and UAB (70-53), leaving them with an even 8-8 record on the year.

These two new conference rivals have only met twice on the basketball court in their series history. Marshall has won both of those meetings, which included an 80-68 victory at home last season.

Marshall struggled out of the gate against Charlotte, as the Thundering Herd connected on only 37.5 percent of their shots from the floor in the first half, and trailed the 49ers at halftime, 41-36. Marshall made a bit of a run late in the second half, but the team couldn't cut into the 49ers' first-half lead at all as the Herd dropped yet another contest. Austin Loop played a strong game for Marshall, however, as the guard netted 26 points to lead the team, hitting 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Ryan Taylor scored 12 points and grabbed a team high-tying seven rebounds in the defeat.

Loop's strong showing against Charlotte wasn't enough to propel him into the team's scoring lead over Taylor, who checks in at 13.9 ppg. He's also the team's best rebounder, adding 8.0 boards per outing. Loop is the only other active player for Marshall in double-figure scoring, netting 11.6 ppg on 45.4 percent shooting from the floor. Marshall, which averages 66.6 ppg this season and allows 71.4 ppg to opponents (second to last in Conference USA), could use Shawn Smith back from his shoulder injury. Smith, in five games, averaged 12.0 ppg.

It seems offense has been hard to come by for FIU in the team's last two outings. The Panthers shot 40.8 percent from the floor in the loss to UAB, but connected on only 3-of-13 from 3-point range, turned the ball over 21 times in the one-sided loss. Dennis Mavin was the only FIU player in double figures in the contest, as the senior guard collected 12 points with six rebounds and four assists. Dominique Williams came off the bench to add in nine points in the loss.

FIU's scoring offense is toward the bottom of the Conference USA rankings (62.1 ppg), but the team has been able to stay afloat this season thanks to a strong scoring defense (62.2 ppg allowed to opponents). Mavin is the clear go- to player for the Panthers offensively. The senior heads into Thursday netting 16.8 ppg (ranked third in the conference) on 44.8 percent shooting from the field. His 2.9 apg margin is also the best on the squad, and 5.3 rpg is the second-best average to only Adrian Diaz, who checks in at 6.3 boards per outing. Diaz is the only other FIU player to own a double-digit scoring average at 13.2 ppg.

Offense has certainly escaped the Panthers over their last two outings, but against a Marshall team that is on one of the worst skids in the country, the Panthers should have no issues.