Game Details
FIU 68, Rice 58
Records: FIU 5-12 (2-2 C-USA), Rice 13-3 (3-1 C-USA).
Saturday, January 13 | 7 p.m. | Miami, Fla | Ocean Bank Convocation Center

The Basics

• FIU shot a season-high .529 and held visiting Rice to a season-worst .269 as the Panthers won their second-straight at home, 68-58 Saturday night in Conference US women's basketball action. FIU is now 5-12 on the season, 2-2 in conference. Rice has its league-best, eight-game winning streak ended, falling to 13-3 overall, 3-1 in league play.
• The two teams were tied at 15 after one period and tied at 31 at the half, but a 9-0 run in a three-minute stretch in the third quarter helped FIU to a 48-44 lead into the fourth. It is the 11^th time this season FIU had led at the start of the final quarter. The Panthers never trailed in the final period.
• For the third time this season, sophomore Alexis Gordon (Palm Bay, Florida / Covenant Christian HS) hit six three-point field goals in the contest. The sharpshooter was 8-for-15 from the field, including 6-for-12 from long distance. She led the team with 22 points, her second-highest total of the season.
• Three Panthers finished with double-figure scoring totals, with sophomore point guard Kristian Hudson (Birmingham, Alabama) scoring 15 points, collecting six rebounds and distributing five assists. Kiandre'a Pound (Gifford, Florida / Sebastian River HS) had her team-leading seventh double-double of the season, with 14 points and 11 rebounds.    
• FIU led Rice 26-16 in points in the paint. The Owls could not hit the three-point shot, finishing 7-for-31 from beyond the arc (.226) in the contest.
• For the seventh time this year, FIU outrebounded its opponent, by one in this contest, 39-38.
• The last time FIU shot over .500 as a team was in a Conference USA-tournament win over East Carolina on March 12, 2014.
• The five wins matches last season's win total. FIU has won three of its last five contests and matches its 2-2 start to conference play last season.

Stat of the Match                                                                                                                                                                                                  
FIU held Rice's leading scorer, Erica Ogwumike (17.5 points per game), to just nine points on 3-for-16 shooting.

From the Sideline
"We had some deep conversations about our preparation," said FIU Head Coach Tiara Malcom." The players were on top of their personnel and how we were defending everything. We tried to disrupt their rhythm and turn them over. When Rice went on a run, we were able to sustain our defense. In the end, we got some stops and were able to close this out."

From the Floor
"One of the strengths about basketball is being able to share it with others," said Hudson. "Nobody did anything alone tonight. For everyone to be able to see that it is paying off is really fun."

Next Up
FIU will play its next two games at home, where it has all five of the wins this season. Thursday morning, FIU tips off against Louisiana Tach at 11 a.m. for an Education Day game. It will be streamed on ESPN3.

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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