Box Score TROY, Ala. (Feb. 14, 2013) –  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).

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.

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