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Strong First Half Leads FIU Women to Victory at Troy, 56-39
The FIU women's basketball team used a strong first half to pick up its third-straight victory on Thursday evening, defeating Sun Belt Conference foe Troy, 56-39, at Trojan Arena. With the win, the Panthers improve to 16-9 (10-6 SBC) while the Trojans fall to 5-19 (2-13 SBC).
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In the first half, FIU took control early, not allowing a Troy basket until the 13:07 mark when the Panthers led, 10-2. FIU led by as many as 26 points, going on to take a 37-14 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
FIU shot 48.6 percent (17-of-35) from the floor for the period, while holding Troy to 24.0 percent (6-of-25) shooting, marking a first-half, season-low for a Panther opponent this season. The 37 first-half points tie a season high (vs. Georgia Tech, 12/30/12), as FIU out-scored Troy in the paint by a 20-6 margin for the half.
Out of the break, Troy went on a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to 16. The Trojans would then get to within 13 at 47-34 with 9:38 left to play, but FIU regained control and came away with a 56-39 victory.
Junior Jerica Coley led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 performance from the free throw line. The All-America candidate added five rebounds, three assists, a team-high-tying three steals, and one block, and has now scored in double-figures in 23-consecutive games and in 81 of 91 career contests. The 20-point outing marks her 16th of the season, putting her career point total at 1,931, a mark which ranks third all-time at FIU.
Leading the Panthers on the boards versus the Trojans was junior Marita Davydova with eight rebounds. Senior Carmen Miloglav added a season-high-tying seven rebounds to go along with a team-leading six assists and a team-high-tying three steals, while senior Diamond Ashmore registered a team-best and career-high-tying three blocks.
For the contest, FIU shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field, while Troy shot 29.4 percent (15-of-51) from the floor. The Panthers out-rebounded the Trojans, 39-35, while forcing 22 turnovers on the night.
FIU returns to action on Saturday when the Panthers host the WKU Hilltoppers at U.S. Century Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be available for viewing on ESPN3.com.
FIU Men Drop 69-61 Decision to Troy
The FIU men's basketball team (13-12, 8-8 SBC) suffered a 69-61 loss to the Troy Trojans (11-15, 6-9 SBC) on Thursday night at the Trojan Arena.
FIU was led by senior Cameron Bell, who posted 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Also scoring in double-figures were freshman Jerome Frink (11 pts.) and junior Tymell Murphy (10 pts.).Bell led the squad in rebounds with five, while Murphy recorded a team-high five assists.
For the game, FIU shot 38.7 percent from the floor (24-of-62) and converted 26.7 percent from 3-point range (8-of-30).Troy shot 49.0 percent (25-of-51) from the field and out-rebounded the Panthers, 37-32.
FIU entered halftime trialing the Trojans, 29-23, shooting 35.7 percent (10-of-28) from the field and 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from 3-point range. Three Panthers scored a team-high six point in the first stanza (Frink, Murphy and sophomore Juan Ferrales).
The Panthers, who trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, tied the game with 12:03 left in the contest, following a 3-pointer by redshirt sophomore Marco Porcher Jimenez. FIU hit two more treys to take a 48-42 lead with 9:50 on the clock. However, the Trojans erased the Panthers' lead with a layup by Deonata Jethroe with 3:50 left in the game to take a 55-54 advantage. Troy would hold onto its lead to go on for the 69-61 win
The loss marked the second-straight for the Panthers and third-consecutive on the road.
FIU will next host the WKU Hilltoppers on Saturday, Feb. 16, at U.S. Century Bank Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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