MIAMI (March 2, 2017) -- Senior Janka Hegedus (Budapest, Hungary) tied her second-highest scoring total of the season with 18 points, but FIU women's basketball could not overcome a slow start in an 88-53 home loss to Middle Tennessee Thursday night in Conference USA action on Lime Court at FIU Arena. The Panthers are now 5-23 on the season, 3-14 in Conference USA, while the Blue Raiders are 19-9, 14-3 and in second place in C-USA.
 
The Panthers worked hard on the first two defensive possessions to keep Middle off the scoreboard, and a brilliant pass from Hegedus set up sophomore Kristian Hudson (Birmingham, Alabama) for the jumper and the game's first points.
 
Middle scored the next seven before another Panthers bucket and then scored nine in a row to extend its lead to 16-4. Middle led 21-6 at the end of the quarter. The Panthers were just 3-for-11 in the opening period.
 
"You can't be competitive in a basketball game when you give up that many points defensively," said FIU Head Coach Tiara Malcom. "We cannot play from behind like that. We played a little more evenly in the second half, but it all goes back to that consistency that we are trying to achieve."
 
FIU improved its shooting from the field in the second quarter, posting a .417 mark and scoring their average of 15 points in the quarter. Unfortunately for FIU, the Lady Raiders shot a blistering .688 in the period, scoring 32 points for a 53-21 halftime lead.
 
FIU had no answer for MT post player Alex Johnson. The Lady Raider sophomore produced 32 points on 14-for-19 shooting. She added four rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. Middle also hit 10 three-pointers in the game, the fifth time a Conference USA opponent has reached that plateau.
 
FIU gained some steam in the third, with 18 points, their highest-scoring quarter of the game. The Panthers hit seven of nine free throw attempts in the period. FIU was outscored by just three points in the entire second half.
 
Hegedus led the Panthers with 18 points. Freshman Alexis Gordon (Palm Bay, Florida / Covenant Christian) added 12 and freshman Kayla Rogers (Jacksonville, Florida / Jean Ribault) scored 10. Hudson tied for the team high with five rebounds and dished out four assists.
 
For the fourth time this season, FIU outrebounded their opponent, owning a 32-27 margin on the boards. For the game, FIU shot near its average of .360, while MT ended at .586, shooting below 50 percent in just the opening period.
 
The Panthers will host UAB Saturday in the final game of the season. Hegedus and Nina Todorovic, the team's seniors, will be honored in a pre-game ceremony prior to the 2 p.m. tip.
 
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/.