GAME NOTES: Hoping to rebound from consecutive losses, the Old Dominion Monarchs will entertain the FIU Panthers in a Conference USA showdown at the Ted Constant Convocation Center Thursday.

Old Dominion moved into the nation's top 25 after starting the season with a 13-1 record, but since then the team has gone 2-3 in its last five games to fall back out of grace. The Monarchs are coming off two straight losses to Middle Tennessee (68-58 in overtime) and to UAB (81-68) to drop the team back to 15-4.

FIU lost its most recent clash, which was against Western Kentucky, 65-58. The [anthers have dropped three of their last four decisions, and now own a .500 record this season at 9-9, with a 2-3 conference ledger. The Panthers are also 4-7 away from home.

The two new conference rivals have only met one time on the floor before in history. Just over a year ago is when the sides clashed, which ODU won by a 52-36 decision in Miami.

FIU and Western Kentucky were knotted at 24-24 at halftime during their contest 12 days ago, but the Hilltoppers broke things open in the second half to earn the conference victory. FIU shot 41.8 percent from the floor in the game, but hit only 2-of-14 from 3-point distance in the loss. Dennis Mavin led all Panthers with 21 points in the outing, while Daviyon Draper tallied a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Adrian Diaz chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds before he fouled out of the contest. The Hilltoppers won despite FIU limiting them to 34.5 percent shooting in on the day.

FIU's matchup against WKU featured the top two scorers this season in Conference USA, as Mavin and T.J. Price went head-to-head in a scoring duel. Mavin tops the Panthers and Conference USA still headed into Thursday's contest at 17.2 ppg - just a tenth of a point ahead of Price in the scoring department. He's also dished out 53 assists to lead the team in that category. Diaz is the only other FIU player to own a double-digit point total this season, chipping in with 13.0 ppg this season and a team-high 6.4 rpg. FIU's scoring offense is only producing 62.1 ppg this season, but the team ranks third in the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to 62.3 ppg.

Old Dominion struggled in the first half against UAB on Saturday, as the Blazers were allowed to shoot 75 percent from the floor, which gave them a 40-32 advantage headed into the intermission. The Monarchs couldn't come back from that deficit, and ultimately fell to the hosts. Aaron Bacote scored 23 points to pace Old Dominion in the loss, while Trey Freeman added 18 points with a team-high three assists. The Monarchs shot 44.4 percent from the field in the defeat.

Freeman and Bacote are the team's only two players averaging a double-digit scoring figure at this point in the season, but it's Freeman that leads the squad with a 16.1 ppg mark - ranking sixth in the conference in individual scoring. Bacote chips in with 10.6 ppg on 40.7 percent shooting from the floor. Freeman owns a team-high mark with 62 assists on the year, and Bacote is second in that category with 52 assists for the Monarchs. Denzell Taylor leads ODU in rebounding, pulling down 5.9 boards per outing. ODU's scoring offense isn't overwhelming at 65.7 ppg, but the team sports the best scoring defense in Conference USA this season, holding opponents to 57.4 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting.

As long as Old Dominion's strong scoring defense can handle Mavin, the Monarchs should have the upper hand in this one as they search for their first win in nearly two weeks.