MIAMI (Nov. 26, 2021) - The FIU women's basketball team secured a decisive victory at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Friday afternoon as the Panthers defeated the Chicago State Cougars by a score of 64-46.

With the win, FIU improved to 3-2 on the season and 2-1 at home.

Kyla Nelson and Emerald Ekpiteta paced FIU with 12 points apiece, while Maria Torres led the Panthers with eight rebounds.

Five different Panthers scored in double digits, with Ariel Colon (11), Tanajah Hayes (10), and Grace Hunter (10) also contributing.

On the defensive side, FIU forced 19 turnovers and scored 22 points off those takeaways.

FIU led in the contest for over 37 minutes, with the Panthers up over the Cougars by as much as 21 points during the game.

The Blue & Gold came out hot and shot 80 percent from the floor in the opening period, making 9-of-11 field goal attempts. FIU scored 12 points off turnovers in the first quarter to give the Panthers a 19-7 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.

FIU's defense was swarming in the opening half, as the Panthers held CSU to a lowly 21 percent shooting from the floor while forcing 11 Cougar turnovers. The Panthers shot an efficient 56 percent from the field in the opening half while scoring 24 points in the paint.

With FIU up by a score of 33-17 to start the third quarter, the Panthers extended their lead to 21 points with 5:01 remaining in the period after a layup by Grace Hunter. CSU then went on a run to cut its deficit to 45-38 at the end of the third period.

The Panthers kicked things into overdrive in the fourth quarter and shut down any hopes of a CSU comeback, as FIU went on a 14-0 run and outscored the Cougars by a margin of 19-8 in the final frame. The Blue & Gold defense held the Cougars to 22 percent shooting in the fourth period, including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, as the Panthers grabbed their second home win of the season thanks to a total team effort.

As a team, the Panthers shot an efficient 52 percent from the field.

The FIU bench out-scored the CSU bench by a whopping margin of 26-4.

UP NEXT
The Panthers continue the FIU Thanksgiving Classic at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Saturday, Nov. 27, with a battle against Eastern Michigan. Tip off against the Eagles is slated for 2 p.m. ET.

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

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.