Miami Courant

Florida International University recently issued the following announcement.

Panthers lead majority of contest, fall by one point in heartbreaker

FIU women's basketball battled Southern Miss in a close contest on Thursday night on the road, but the Panthers came up short on the final possession as the Lady Eagles defeated the Panthers by a score of 65-64.

The Panthers' record fell to 11-8 on the season (3-5 Conference USA), while the Lady Eagles improved to 13-7 (5-4 C-USA).

FIU and Southern Miss traded buckets for much of the contest, with the game seeing nine lead changes and seven tied scores. The Panthers led for a total time of 16:55 in the game while the Lady Eagles led for 15:31.

Four Panthers scored in double digits, marking the seventh time in a game this season. Kyla Nelson led the way with 15 points, while Tanajah Hayes and Grace Hunter contributed 13 apiece. Ariel Colon also pitched in with 10 points.

Hayes went 7-for-9 from the free-throw line and also filled the box score with a game-high eight assists, four steals, and a team-high seven rebounds. Emerald Ekpiteta also pulled down seven boards for FIU.

After falling behind 11-17 to end the first quarter, the Panthers stormed into the second on an 11-0 run and took a 22-17 lead over Southern Miss. FIU maintained the lead until the 1:40 mark of the second quarter as the Lady Eagles rode their own 9-0 run and took a 34-31 lead into the locker room.

The Panthers saw their highest-scoring quarter in the third frame, putting up 22 points while holding the Lady Eagles to only 15. FIU's defense locked in and forced Southern Miss to shoot 33 percent in the third period, marking the Lady Eagles' worst shooting quarter.

Up 53-49 to start the fourth, the Panthers withstood a 9-0 run from Southern Miss and then punched back with an 8-0 run to retake the lead, 61-58. With 20 seconds left to play, Hayes sank her fourth free-throw of the quarter to put FIU ahead 64-63.

The Panthers needed a defensive stop with only six seconds left and Southern Miss trailing by a point, but the Lady Eagles sank a clutch shot with 0.5 seconds remaining to ice the game at the Reed Green Coliseum.

OTHER NOTES

The Panthers forced 22 Southern Miss turnovers in the game. FIU has now forced 20-plus turnovers in 11 games this season, including the last four straight.

The Blue & Gold nabbed 13 steals, marking the ninth time that FIU has posted double-digit steals in a game this season.

Ekpiteta is only 18 points away from reaching one thousand for her collegiate career.

Hayes tied her season-high with eight assists in the contest.

UP NEXT

FIU continues its three-game road trip on Saturday, Feb. 5, against LA Tech. Tip-off against the Lady Techsters is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET from the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana. 

Original source can be found here.