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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Jan. 25, 2014) – The FIU women's basketball team topped UAB, 63-52, on Saturday afternoon from Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. With the win, the Panthers improve to 9-10 overall and 3-3 in Conference USA, while the loss brings the Blazers to 11-8 on the season and 3-3 against league opponents. The victory marks the only win against UAB in Birmingham and was the first win versus the Blazers since 1992.
FIU was led offensively by senior Jerica Coley, who had a game-high 38 points. This marks the 17th time Coley has scored 20-plus points this season and the 10th time she has netted 30-plus. The All-American also contributed six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Junior Tynia McKinzie recorded her fourth double-double this year with 10 points and a career-best 19 rebounds. Junior Zsofia Labady tied a season-best with nine rebounds, while redshirt junior Arielle Durant also grabbed a career-high nine boards.
For the game, FIU out-rebounded the Blazers by a season-high 15. The Panthers also had 18 second chance points, compared to UAB's eight. FIU did not give a three-point shot the entire game.
UAB led from the start, scoring the first four points of the game less than 60 seconds in. FIU kept within six points over the next 11 minutes until a McKinzie second-chance layup put the Panthers ahead by one. FIU led by as many as five in the first half before a 10-3 run by the Blazers would cut their deficit into a one-point advantage at the half.
Trailing 29-28 coming out of the break, FIU opened the second half giving up the first six points. Following a Panther time out, FIU responded with a 10-2 run, eight of which were scored by Coley, to take a three point advantage at the 12:39 mark. The Panthers continued to hold on to its lead for the remainder of the game and came away with the 63-52 victory.
FIU returns home this week when it hosts in-state rival Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. ET from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena. It will be the second time this year the Panthers and Owls meet.
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, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/
