MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | The Lions used a 52-point second-half to take care of business in the season opener, defeating Fort Lauderdale 89-67 at the FMU Wellness Center in first year head coach Delano Thomas' debut at Florida Memorial.

The Lions dominated their opponent as they produced 44 points in the paint and scored 25 points off of 22 Eagles turnovers.

NAIA transfer Raheem Carter finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including 13 in the second half while teammate Evan Busby produced 18 points, also making his debut in a Lions uniform. Busby missed only one shot from the field (6-for-7) and also 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. Fellow Lion Jaiden Guice found the hot hand from downtown as he generated a game-high four three-pointers in the contest.

The bench play of FMU was marvelous throughout the evening, outscoring Fort Lauderdale 38-11 in the victory.

FMU returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 2 as they face William Carey (Miss.) in Montgomery, Ala. in game one of the SSAC/SUN Challenge.