Senior Janka Hegedus (Budapest, Hungary) hit the game-winning layup with 27 seconds remaining on an inbounds play under the basket with the shot clock running out as FIU won a nailbiter, 58-57, over visiting Massachusetts Tuesday on Lime Court at FIU Arena. It was the first game of the FIU Holiday Classic, a two-day, four-team event to wrap up the non-conference portion of the Panthers' schedule. FIU improves to 2-8 overall, while UMass slips to 6-7.

Hegedus produced her first double-double of the season, with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the second for FIU this season. FIU came out aggressively on the boards, posting a season-high 45, with highs in both offensive (18) and defensive (27) rebounds in the contest.
 
"Everyone who played contributed," said FIU Head Coach Tiara Malcom. "We finally won a rebounding war. We were hitting shots and making good decisions at the right times. In earlier games, when the shots were not falling, on the defensive end we have been slacking off and we did not do that today and I was proud of them for that."
 
FIU posted 15 rebounds in the first quarter and led by four at the quarter break, 16-12. Sophomore point guard Kristian Hudson (Birmingham, Alabama) scored a game-high seven in the first period, finishing with 11 points and seven assists in the contest.
 
FIU started 2-for-8 shooting in the second quarter, as UMass closed the gap and took its first lead with just over three minutes to go in the half on a three-pointer from Hailey Leidel, to make it 23-21 visitors. The two teams traded the lead over the final minutes of the half, with UMass leading 27-24 at the break.
 
The lead stayed close in the third, but FIU still had trouble finding the bottom of the net, shooting just 5-for-15 (.333) in the period. The Panthers continued to lead in rebounding, assists and fast-break points. UMass got the lead to as much as seven in the period, but both teams scored 17 in the quarter and the lead remained three for UMass to start the fourth, 44-41.
 
FIU got the game to within one multiple times in the fourth period, until taking a lead on an Alexis Gordon (Palm Bay, Florida / Covenant Christian HS) jumper, giving the Panthers a 54-53 lead with 3:29 remaining in the contest. The Minutewomen got the lead back out to three before a pair of Hegedus layups, including the game-winner, sealed the result. A UMass jumper in the waning seconds caromed offline to seal the FIU win.
 
"I decided before the game that I was going to be focused on my rebounding, but my teammates kept finding me in spots and I was able to finish," said Hegedus.
 
"My shooting was not on point today, so I worked on getting other players involved," said Gordon. "That eventually got me open so shots could fall for me and for us."
 
FIU led 11-1 in fast-break points and 16-9 in second-chance points thanks to the offensive rebounding total. FIU also had 17 assists against just 14 turnovers, the second-consecutive game with more assists than giveaways. The Panthers also tied their season high with 10 steals in the game.
 
Gordon led the Panthers with 17 points.  Redshirt sophomore Kiandre'a Pound (Gifford, Florida / Sebastian River HS) collected 10 rebounds, giving the Panthers their first pair of double-digit rebounders in a game this season.
 
FIU tales on George Mason to conclude the Classic on Wednesday, with the tip time scheduled for 2 p.m. That game follows UMass and Drexel at noon.
 
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/.