MIAMI (Jan. 9, 2016) -- FIU senior Destini Feagin (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Panthers lost a defensive duel with visiting Marshall, 65-58, at Lime Court at FIU Arena Saturday afternoon.
 
The Panthers are now 2-12 overall and 0-3 in the league as all three conference losses have been by single digits for FIU. The Thundering Herd sits at 11-3 overall, 1-2 in C-USA.
 
Marshall was able to get out to an 11-4 lead with three three-point baskets and a 2-for-10 start from the field from FIU, but the Panthers then scored eight unanswered points to surge back to a 12-11 lead. The Herd got two buckets to finish the first and lead 15-12 after 10 minutes of action.
 
FIU started the second quarter hot, nailing four of its first six from the field to grab a three-point lead, however, the rims ran cold after that as FIU hit just one of the next eight. The scoring drought resulted in a four-point lead for Marshall as both teams entered intermission.
 
The first half was played in just a half-hour, thanks to just nine total fouls and three combined free throws in the first two periods. The Panthers had a one-rebound advantage at the half, but hit just 11-of-31 (.355), far below their .455 average of the last two league games.
 
"I was disappointed with our effort level to start the game today," said Head Coach Marlin Chinn after the game. "We had a lot of things go against us early and it took us a while to respond. When we picked up our intensity and energy levels, we made things happen for us."
 
Marshall pushed the lead to as many as 15 in the third quarter before the FIU surge began. The Panthers held the Herd to a 1-for-8 shooting slum to end the period and close the gap to nine, 48-39. The run continued into the fourth, when FIU hit two quick baskets by senior Taylor Shade (Boynton Beach, Florida / Community HS) and eventually got the lead all the way down to just two with two minutes to play on two Feagin free throws. Shade had 13 of her game-high 19 in the second half.
 
After hitting three shots in a row in the middle of the fourth period, the Panthers could not convert on their final three from the field and Marshall was able to knock down late free throws to ice the victory.
 
The Panthers focused on Marshall leading scorer Leah Scott, who was third in Conference USA with her 17.4 points-per-game average. She had just six points in total, all coming in the second half.
 
"Give credit to Marshall," added Chinn after the game. "Other players stepped up and showed they can score and that was the difference for them."
 
Junior Janka Hegedus (Budapest, Hungary) added 12 points for FIU.
 
The Panthers held the Herd to just .250 shooting in the third quarter, and under 40 percent for the game, but FIU had only one quarter shooting 40 percent (6-for-15 in the second) and finished with a .361 mark in the loss. FIU hit one more field goal than Marshall, in six more attempts, but the Herd knocked down 11 three-point baskets to FIU's four.
 
FIU won in scoring in the paint (22-16) and turnovers (10 to Marshall's 14), but Marshall hit seven of eight free throws in the fourth quarter, missing just that one in the game (12-for-13).
 
FIU will play its next pair of games on the road, starting with a Thursday night tilt at Louisiana Tech, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Panthers will take on Southern Miss Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
For women's basketball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWBB) 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 at the FIU Football 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 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. 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/.