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MIAMI (Dec. 1, 2013) - The FIU women's basketball team (1-5) closed out the 19th Annual Thanksgiving Classic, falling 68-61 to the Villanova Wildcats from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon, as three Panthers scored in double-figures.

Senior Jerica Coley registered 24 points, while going a perfect 3-for-3 from the line. The two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and 2013-14 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year extended her streak to 36-straight games scoring in double-figures, dating back to her junior year. It's the 28th time since the 2012-13 season that Coley has scored 20-or-more points.

Junior Kamika Idom scored a season-high 13 points and was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Junior Zsofia Labady grabbed nine boards, and junior Tynia McKinzie scored a season-high 12 points, going 4-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

The Panthers jumped out to a fast 5-2 lead, with Coley knocking down a trey with 17:40 to play in the first. Idom brought the Panthers within one point after sinking two free-throws, making it 8-7 at the 11-minute mark. FIU regained the lead on its next possession after McKinzie's layup was good. Redshirt junior Arielle Durant drained a trey with 3:29 to play, putting FIU ahead, 23-17. The Panthers led by three points, 25-22, after 20 minutes, as the Wildcats went into the half trailing for only the third time all season.

Idom led the Panthers in the first half, recording nine points, going 2-of-3 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Coley tallied seven points and three rebounds, while Labady led the Panthers on the boards through 20 minutes with six rebounds. FIU was perfect from the line in the first half  (4-of-4) and finished shooting 34 percent on 9-of-26 shooting.

McKinzie gave FIU its then-largest lead, 30-24, just shy of the 18-minute mark in the second half. Villanova tied the game at 31-all with 14:53 to play before sophomore Taylor Shade's pull-up jumper brought FIU within one, 34-33, 90 seconds later. Down by 14, Coley grabbed a rebound from a last-second Villanova missed basket and went coast-to-coast for the unassisted layup. On the next possession, Coley hit a shot from beyond the arc. Idom then followed with a trey of her own, bringing the Panthers within eight, 54-46, with 4:41 remaining. With 34 seconds to play, Coley knocked down her second 3-pointer of the night, to bring FIU within four, 62-58.

FIU finished the night shooting 35 percent from the floor, while hitting 76 percent of its free-throws by going 13-of-17. The Panthers bench put up a season-high 17 points in the effort.

Following the game, McKinzie and Coley were named to the all-tournament team, and the team received the runners-up trophy, going 1-1 during the weekend's classic.

Below is the 19th Annual FIU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team.

Ashley Brumwell – Montana State
Lexi Miller – Valparaiso
Jerica Coley- FIU
Tynia McKinzie – FIU
Lauren Burford – Villanova
Devon Kane – Villanova (MVP)

The Panthers are back in action on Dec. 6, hosting Prairie View A&M at 6 p.m, ET from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena before traveling to Tennessee Tech on the 16th.

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). The official hashtag of the 2013-14 FIU athletic season is PantherNation.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. 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 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s 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. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.