Game Details
FIU 57, LA Tech 54
Records: FIU 6-12 (3-2 C-USA), LA Tech 12-6 (3-2 C-USA).
Thursday, January 18 | 12 noon | Miami, Fla. | Ocean Bank Convocation Center

The Basics                                   

• FIU won its third-straight home game for the first time in six years in front of 2,151 fans to topple Louisiana Tech, 57-54, Thursday afternoon at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Conference USA women's basketball action.
• The win was the first for FIU in the 12-game all-time series against the Lady Techsters, and improves the Panthers' record to 6-12, 3-2 in C-USA. It's the first time since the start of the 2013-14 Conference USA season that FIU has a winning mark in league play. LA Tech is now 12-6, 3-2 in C-USA games.
• Trailing by 11 with 6:53 to go in the third quarter, redshirt junior Kiandre'a Pound (Gifford, Florida / Sebastian River HS) scored the game's next 12 points in just over three minutes to put FIU on top by one. FIU led by one, 36-33, at the start of the fourth. The Panthers held LA Tech to 0-for-10 shooting from the floor in a seven-minute stretch in the period.
• The lead changed hands four times in the fourth, but the Panthers went 5-for-8 from the free-throw line in the last 92 seconds, allowing just two points by LA Tech in that span with solid defense to close out the win. FIU's last two home wins came over teams with records of .750 or better this season.
• The event was marked with busloads of middle and elementary-school students for STEM Education Day, as visiting school-aged children were treated to a pregame expo put on by the FIU College of Engineering, where they showed the students amazing displays of aerospace, computer science and motorsports technologies.
• Scoring was at a premium in the first half, with the arena as noisy as it has been in years, causing communication issues for the teams. FIU led 13-9 after one quarter, the fourth time this season that the Panthers held an opponent in single digits in a period.  
• LA Tech returned the favor in the second period, holding FIU to seven points on 2-for-11 shooting. The Lady Techsters held a 24-20 halftime lead.
• Guards Kristian Hudson (Birmingham, Alabama) and Kayla Rogers (Jacksonville, Florida / Jean Ribault HS) both scored 14 points and handed out three assists for FIU. Pound led the Panthers with 19 points.
• Six wins in a season are the most for FIU since 2013-14. The six home wins are also the most since seven in that season. Three C-USA wins ties last season for the most since 2013-14.

Stat of the Match
FIU held LA Tech to a .227 mark from three-point range. FIU's last five wins have all come when holding the opponent to a .227 mark or worse. FIU is second in Conference USA in three-point percentage defense (.258) in conference-games only. 

From the Sideline
"At the end of the game, we had to get stops and rebounds," said FIU Head Coach Tiara Malcom." When (Pound) gets going, it takes pressure off our guards, and they have a better chance to succeed. Everyone who came onto the floor contributed. It was a great opportunity to play in front of that big crowd, and it gave the team a lot of energy. It seems like the games we were losing close when we had a lead in the fourth quarter are starting to pay off now as we are more dialed into what we want to do as we close out games."

From the Floor
"As a team, we just try to help the helper and that makes the defense better," said Hudson. "It was awesome to play in front of all of those fans. We had to focus more and communicate with eye contact."

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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