Box Score MIAMI (Feb. 16, 2013) –  Junior Jerica Coley scored 38 points and junior Marita Davydova registered her ninth double-double of the season, as FIU defeated Sun Belt Conference foe WKU, 72-53, on Saturday evening at U.S. Century Bank Arena. The victory marks the fourth-straight for the Panthers, as FIU improves to 17-9 (11-6 SBC), and the Hilltoppers fall to 18-7 (11-5 SBC).

WKU led by as many as 10 points in the first half, running out to a 16-6 lead at the 13:46 mark. FIU cut the deficit to two, but the Hilltoppers stormed back, taking a 35-30 advantage into the halftime break.

The Panthers opened the second half on a 35-8 run to go ahead by 22 points at 65-43 with 4:32 remaining in the contest. WKU managed just 18 points in the second stanza, as FIU went on for the 72-53 victory.

Coley led all scorers with 38 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field and a 9-of-11 performance from the free throw line. The All-America candidate came up one rebound shy of a double-double, contributing nine rebounds, five blocks, three steals and three assists in 38 minutes of action. Coley has now scored in double-figures in 24-consecutive
games and in 82 of 92 career contests. The 30-point performance marks her 11th of the campaign, while the 20-point outing marks her 17th of the season.

Davydova registered a double-double versus WKU, posting a career-high-tying 15 rebounds and 11 points as FIU out-rebounded WKU, 43-27, for the contest. Senior Carmen Miloglav dished out a team-leading six assists, also tying for the team lead in steals with three swipes on the night.

As a team, FIU shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field against just 29.6 percent (16-of-54) shooting for WKU. The Panthers out-scored the Hilltoppers in the paint by a 36-
16 margin, and the FIU bench contributed 23 points compared to 10 points for the WKU reserves.

FIU returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 21, when the Panthers close out their home schedule versus SBC opponent UALR. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. from U.S. Century Bank Arena.

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