KENNESAW, Georgia (Nov. 15, 2021) - The FIU women's basketball team grabbed its first road win of the season in dominating fashion over Kennesaw State on Monday night, as the Panthers downed the Owls by a score of 67-57.

FIU's record improved to 2-1 with the win, while KSU fell to 1-2 on the season.

Ariel Colón was the star of the night as the Panther led FIU in scoring (12 pts), rebounds (8), assists (5), and steals (2).

Kyla Nelson and Grace Hunter each chipped in with double-digit scoring outputs, posting 11 and 10 points, respectively.

As a team, FIU knocked down a season-high nine three-pointers on a blazing 64 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while sinking 57 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free-throw line.

Olivia Trice paced the Panthers with three treys on an impressive 75 percent shooting from deep.

FIU was ahead for a total of 37 minutes in the contest and led the Owls by as much as 19 points. The Blue & Gold forced 11 KSU turnovers on the night and capitalized with 16 points off those takeaways to go along with 12 points on the fast break.

After falling behind early by a score of 0-4 in the opening minutes, the Panthers came roaring back on a 7-0 run and never relinquished the lead again. In the first quarter, FIU shot 3-for-6 from long-range and saw 15 points from its bench unit. Cólon stamped an exclamation point on the opening frame with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give FIU a 23-16 advantage as time expired.

The Blue & Gold ramped up its defensive pressure in the second quarter and forced a total of seven turnovers before the half while scoring 10 points off takeaways. FIU splashed two more trey balls before halftime as the Panthers extended their lead to 34-27 at the intermission.

The Panthers came out scorching hot after the break, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 on field goal attempts in the third quarter including 4-for-4 on treys. Trice splashed back-to-back threes on FIU's first two possessions of the half. Later at the 3:07 mark, Tanajah Hayes helped FIU extend its lead to 19 points with a driving layup followed by an and-1.

The Blue & Gold carried momentum into the fourth quarter, still holding onto a 19-point lead with 6:45 minutes left to play. KSU mustered one more attempt at a comeback, but the Owls' efforts ultimately fell short as the Panthers held onto a double-digit lead and secured their first road victory of the season.

For the night, FIU out-rebounded KSU by a margin of 32-22 and dished 12 assists to the Owls' six.

The FIU bench outscored KSU by a whopping margin of 42-20.

UP NEXT
FIU will stay on the road to battle Georgia Southern in the second contest of a two-game road trip on Wednesday, Nov. 17. Game time is slated for 3 p.m. ET against the Eagles at Hanner Fieldhouse.

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For tickets to all upcoming women's basketball home games, click here.

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