MIAMI (Jan. 16, 2021) – Thanks to a 21-point fourth quarter, the FIU women's basketball team caged the Florida Atlantic Owls inside the Ocean Bank Convocation by score of 65-62 on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Panthers improve to 6-6 and 3-3 in Conference USA play, matching the overall win total from last year in just 12 games.
 
The dynamic duo of Kyla Nelson and Emerald Ekpiteta once again led the way for the Panthers. Nelson returned to form on Saturday with 18 points, which included four three-pointers and tied a career-high with eight rebounds. Ekpiteta recorded her team-leading fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out.

The visitors from Boca Raton held a nine-point lead with 6:45 remaining in the game, before the Panther pair of Fujika Nimmo and Raquel Ferrer-Bernad took over. In just a 51-second span, Ferrer-Bernad scored all five of her points on the night following a three-pointer and pair of free throws to shift momentum to the Panthers. Nimmo drained a pair of treys in the closing minutes to aid the comeback as well, including a clutch bucket at the 1:05 mark that put FIU up for good. After gaining the lead, Nelson closed out the game by hitting four free throws in the closing seconds to seal the 65-62 victory for the Blue and Gold.
 
FIU returns to the road on Friday, Jan. 22, for a two-game set at Marshall in West Virginia.  
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUWBB on Facebook and @FIU_WBB on Twitter and @FIUWBB on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.