Box Score MIAMI (Jan. 5, 2013) – Three Panthers scored in double-figures, while junior Jerica Coley registered her first double-double of the season in FIU women's basketball's 63-47 victory over Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana at U.S. Century Bank Arena on Saturday night. With the win, the Panthers improve to 9-5 (3-2 SBC) while the Ragin' Cajuns fall to 7-8 (1-5 SBC).

FIU shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the floor in the first half while holding ULL to 38.5 percent (10-of-26) shooting, as the Panthers took a 31-23 advantage into the halftime break. Junior Finda Mansare registered

13 first-half points going 6-of-8 from the field, while Coley put up 10 points and six boards.

In the second half, ULL cut the FIU lead to six at 36-30 with 16:43 remaining in the contest, but the Panthers stormed back to score eight-straight points to extend their advantage to 44-30 at the 13:14 mark. FIU took its largest lead of the game on a layup from senior Carmen Miloglav at 57-41 with 3:21 left on the clock, going on for the 63-47 victory.

Coley led FIU on both ends of the floor, registering her eighth-career double-double with 16 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native has now scored in double-figures in 13 of 14 games this season and in 70 of 80 career contests. Coley also led the Panthers in the assists category, dishing out a career-high-tying eight dimes on the night.

Mansare chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Kamika Idom added 14 points and five rebounds. Playing in her 100th-career contest, Miloglav posted seven points, four boards, two steals and two assists in a full 40 minutes of action.

FIU shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor while holding ULL to 32.7 percent shooting (18-of-55) on the night. The Panthers out-rebounded the Ragin' Cajuns, 40-30, as FIU
out-scored ULL in the paint, 40-22, for the game, including a 20-8 advantage in the second half. FIU dished out a season-high-tying 15 assists and the Panther defense forced
13 ULL turnovers, turning those setbacks into 13 points.

The Panthers will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 9, when FIU travels to Jonesboro, Ark., for an SBC contest at Arkansas State. The contest versus the Red Wolves is slated for 8:05 p.m. ET.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWBasketball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWBasketball) for all the latest FIU women's basketball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu