TAMPA, FLORIDA (November 30, 2016) -- FIU played tough defensively, but the hot shooting of USF was too much to overcome in the Panthers' final women's basketball non-conference road game of the season, a 91-41 loss at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa Wednesday night. The Panthers slip to 1-5 on the season, while the Bulls remain undefeated at 5-0.
 
The Bulls set a school record with 16 made three-pointers in the contest, and shot over 50 percent from long distance in the game. FIU was able to get scoring going in the second half, but the Panthers were held to single-digit scoring totals in the opening half. FIU shot 35.7 percent in the second half to finish at 29.4 percent for the game.
 
FIU and USF battled to a six-all tie through the first six minutes, but USF closed the period on a 13-3 run using multiple screens and skip passes to create open looks. Both teams finished 3-for-7 from three-point range, but the Panthers were 0-for-4 from inside the arc, while USF was 5-for-12 on two-point tries for the 10-point disparity.
 
The Panthers were held to just six points in the second quarter, but also held USF to 14 in the frame. FIU played excellent defense in spurts, but allowed nine first-half offensive rebounds, which led to 11 second-chance points in the first two periods.
 
The third started like the first, with the Panthers and Bulls going back and forth, until USF was able to put a 26-2 run together and launch a myriad of three-point buckets, including six field goals in a row. FIU had its best quarter in the third of 14 points, but the 37 put up by the Bulls was too much to overcome.
 
Freshman Alexis Gordon (Palm Bay, Florida / Covenant Christian HS) led the team with 15 points, including 12 in the second half. All of her points came on three-point shots. Senior Janka Hegedus (Budapest, Hungary) was steady from the floor, with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
 
FIU will return home Saturday to take on Jacksonville, with the opening tip scheduled for 2 p.m. That will be the last game before finals and a 13-day layoff for academics before a home game against Miami (Florida) on December 16.
 
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).
 
#####
 
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/.