Box Score (PDF)

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Nov. 18, 2014) – The FIU women's basketball team fell to in-state rival Florida Gulf Coast, 97-49, Tuesday night from Alico Arena. The Panthers drop to 0-2 on the year while the Eagles move to 2-0.
 
Senior Marita Davydova and junior Taylor Shade led the Panthers with 12 points each, while senior Tynia McKinzie chipped in with 11. Davydova and McKinzie combined for 14 rebounds and Shade had a career-best five. Florida Gulf Coast saw five players in double-digits led by Stephanie Hass who scored a game-high 15. Hass shot 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from the field and 100 percent from behind the arch (2-of-2).
 
The Eagles quickly soared to an early 12-4 heading into the first media timeout. FIU was held to only eight points and four field goals at the midway point through the first half. A small offensive spark propelled the Panthers to pull within 10, but the Eagles quickly responded with a three-pointer followed by a breakaway layup. FIU eventually headed into the locker room with a 24-point deficit. FGCU scored 24 of their first half 44 points in the paint and 15 of their points off the 11 Panther turnovers.
 
 After only hitting only 32.0 percent of their shots from the field in the first, the Panthers came out of the break and continued to struggle on both ends of the ball. Despite scoring the first basket of the second, the Eagles responded with a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 32. FIU could not overcome its early deficit as it fell 97-49.
 
For the game, Panthers only shot 30.0 percent (15-of-50) from the floor, while the Eagles saw a 56.1 percentage (37-of-66). FGCU doubled FIU's points in the paint, 51 to 20, and had 35 points off 22 Panther turnovers.
 
FIU returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 23, as it begins a four-game homestand with a matchup against the Cleveland State Vikings. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET at FIU 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).
 
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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 FIU Arena and Ocean BankField at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers 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 contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.