WESTCHESTER, Fla. (Interstat) — A dominant second-half performance, anchored by a historic individual effort, propelled Florida International to a 77-64 victory over Louisiana Tech in a Conference USA men’s basketball game Saturday at Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

The Golden Panthers, who entered the game with a 12-13 record, outscored the Bulldogs 44-33 after halftime to turn a narrow 33-31 halftime lead into a comfortable win. The most important part of the game was Florida International’s immediate and overwhelming surge to start the second half, which established a double-digit lead that Louisiana Tech never seriously threatened.

After a tightly contested first half that featured 10 lead changes, Florida International opened the second period with a decisive 12-2 run in just over three minutes. The burst was fueled by Hamed Olayinka, who assisted on a Zawdie Jackson layup and a Jackson three-pointer, and Jackson himself, who scored eight points during the stretch. This pushed the Golden Panthers’ lead to 45-33, forcing Louisiana Tech into a reactive posture for the remainder of the contest. The Bulldogs never got closer than eight points the rest of the way as Florida International consistently answered every mini-run with timely baskets and defensive stops.

The star of the game was unquestionably Florida International’s Hamed Olayinka. The 6-foot-9 junior from Los Angeles delivered a monstrous all-around performance with 11 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, three assists and five blocked shots. His defensive presence in the paint altered countless Louisiana Tech attempts and his work on the glass, which included seven offensive rebounds, fueled the Golden Panthers’ decisive 15-7 advantage in second-chance opportunities. This performance marked a significant rebound from his recent outings, where he had averaged just 6.7 points over his previous three games.

Jackson led all scorers with 20 points for Florida International, adding four assists. Corey Stephenson contributed 16 points, and Eric Dibami posted 12 points and eight rebounds. The Golden Panthers shot efficiently, hitting 47.5% from the field and 10 of 22 from three-point range for a 45.5% clip. Their offensive rating of 114.0 on 68 possessions starkly contrasted with Louisiana Tech’s 93.2 rating on 69 trips, underscoring the efficiency gap.

Louisiana Tech, which fell to 14-11, was led by AJ Bates with 14 points and four assists. DJ Dudley scored 13 points, and Kaden Cooper added 10. The Bulldogs struggled from beyond the arc, making only 6 of 19 three-point attempts, and from the free-throw line, converting just 8 of 14. Despite forcing 15 turnovers and generating 21 points off them, they could not overcome their own 15 turnovers and Florida International’s superior shooting and rebounding.

The Bulldogs entered the game as a significant favorite according to Interstat’s ELO system, which gave them a 63.3% probability to win. The combined point total of 139 fell under the betting over/under line of 143.5.

Florida International improved to 13-13 overall and will next travel to face Liberty on Thursday. Louisiana Tech looks to regroup when it hosts Jacksonville State on Wednesday. The two teams are scheduled for a rematch in Ruston, Louisiana, on Feb. 28.