FINAL BOX (PDF) | FINAL BOX (HTML)

MIAMI (Dec. 29, 2013) - In a career day for two Panthers, the FIU women's basketball team (5-7) fell in the championship game of the 2013 Sun & Fun Classic, 86-79, to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Jerica Coley scored a career-high 47 points, surpassing her previous high of 39 points (2/2/13, ULM), on a 16-for-29 performance from the floor, while going 13-for-14 from the line.  The feat also breaks the school record for points in a game (45, Albena Branzova, 3/27/93) and marks only the seventh time in program history a Panther has scored over 40 points in a game.The two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and 2013-14 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year extended her streak to 42-straight games scoring in double-figures, dating back to her junior year. It's the 34th time since the 2012-13 season that Coley has scored 20-or-more points, the 16th time she's scored 30-plus and the first time she's netted 40-plus.

Junior Tynia McKinzie also scored a career-high 16 points in the effort and earned the team's only double-double, finishing with a team-high 10 boards. Redshirt sophomore Brianna Wright finished with nine rebounds. 

After a scoreless opening 1:30, Coley drove coast-to-coast for a layup. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native went on to score the Panthers first eight points, resulting in an 8-3 advantage for FIU with 17:12 to go in the first. Wake Forest fought back to take an 11-10 edge before Wright hit two layups, giving FIU a 3-point, 16-13 lead with a little under 14:30 to play. After the Demon Deacons pulled ahead, 21-18, with 10:13 remaining in the first, back-to-back baskets from McKinzie and Coley brought FIU within four, 26-22. Junior Zsofia Labady hit the Panthers first trey of the day with 5:03 to go, and Coley converted a 3-point play with 1:10 to play to put FIU back in the lead, 38-37. A buzzer beater from Coley sent the Panthers into the half leading 42-39.

Coley led all scorers through the first 20 minutes with 19 points, going 8-for-18 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from the line, while McKinzie netted 12 points (5-for-10), her highest points total for one half all season, and finished with a team-high-tying eight boards along with Wright. FIU shot 39 percent in the first and went 7-for-7 from the line, compared to Wake Forest's 25 percent showing (3-for-12) for free-throws.

Wake Forest came out in the second and tied the game at 42-all before a Coley jumper and junior Kamika Idom layup put FIU back up, 46-43, with 16:23 to play. After exchanging leads, Idom drained a 3-pointer and Coley hit a layup to put FIU ahead by four points, 53-49, with 13:05 remaining and then tied the game four minutes later, 57-57, off a jumper in the paint. McKinzie brought FIU within 1-point twice courtesy of two layups, the second time coming with 5:33 to play, as FIU trailed, 67-66. The Panthers never regained the lead, as Coley went on to score six-straight points. 

FIU finished the game shooting 40.8 percent from the floor (29-for-71), while converting 77.3 percent of its free throws (17-for-22). In a game that saw 16 lead changes and 10 tied scores, the Panthers scored 44 points in the paint and held a slight edge in rebounds, 41-39.

Following the game, the Sun & Fun All-Tournament team was announced, which included Coley and McKinzie. A complete list can be found below.

Dearica Hamby - Wake Forest
Jasmine Grice - FAMU
Desiree Crawford - FDU
Jerica Coley - FIU
Tynia McKinzie - FIU

The Panthers have a week off before they host Palm Beach Atlantic on Jan. 5. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

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.

 #####

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/