MIAMI (December 16, 2016) -- Four FIU Panthers scored in double figures for the first time this season, but visiting Miami blocked seven shots and collected 43 rebounds as the No. 12/13 Hurricanes came away with the 69-49 victory on Lime Court at FIU Arena Friday night in women's basketball action. FIU is now 1-7 on the season, while UM wins its ninth-straight and improves to 9-1.
 
Sophomore point guard Kristian Hudson (Birmingham, Alabama) led the Panthers with 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting, while senior forward Janka Hegedus (Budapest, Hungary) added 13 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing her first double-double of the season.
 
"We have to keep taking care of the small things," said FIU Head Coach Tiara Malcom after the game. "We were giving a good second effort, but we were not making shots. We tell them that when we miss shots, we still have to make a good defensive effort on the other end and that is something else we work on. We are motivating them in practice and working on our confidence."
 
The first quarter provided a back-and-forth period of quality basketball. With the margin at two points, at 11-9 Hurricanes, Miami was able to reel off eight in a row to take a 19-9 lead midway through the period. The Panthers mounted a run of their own, scoring 11 of the last 15 points in the period to trail only by three at the quarter break, 23-20. Four different Panthers scored in the last half of the period during the run.
 
The Panthers were held to 13 points in the second quarter, while the Hurricanes scored around their average of 21 in the frame to take an 11-point lead into the half. Miami shot 50 percent in the opening period and 43.8 in the second, but neither team shot better than 33 percent in either second-half period.
 
Hegedus led FIU with 11 at intermission on 4-for-6 shooting.
 
Both defenses tightened the screws on the opponent in the second half. Each team had just two made field goals in the first six minutes of the third, until the Hurricanes were able to knock down three in a row and mount a 7-0 run and extend the lead to 19 in the final minute of the period.
 
The Panthers cut the lead down to 14 within three minutes into the fourth quarter, thanks to two buckets from Hudson and another from Hegedus to open the period. The Panthers got no closer in the period to close out the game.
 
The 69-point output was the third-lowest scoring total for Miami all season, while the Panthers were held to their third-lowest shooting percentage (.327) of the season. The Panthers tied their season low with three field goals from behind the arc.
 
FIU will play its third-straight home game next Wednesday, with a noon tip against Texas Southern.
 
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/.