MIAMI (Nov. 9, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team came up just short in a back-and-forth battle against George Mason by a 69-67 margin on Friday night at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center in the season opener for both programs.
 
Forward Ariel Colón paced FIU with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field.  Joining Colón in double-figures was Emerald Ekpiteta who tabbed 13 points.
 
The game was tightly contested throughout and featured seven ties and eight lead changes.  FIU led by as many as 13 and was ahead for a total of 24:07 in the contest.
 
The Panthers led 66-65 with 2:52 left in regulation after freshman Tanajah Hayes hit a layup following a turnover by George Mason.  The Patriots would go on to score four of the final five points as FIU was held without a field goal for the final 2:52 of regulation.
 
After George Mason (1-0) raced out to its largest lead of the game at 12-3 over the initial 3:30 of the first quarter, the Panthers wasted little time erasing the deficit with an 11-0 run to take their first lead at 14-12 with 1:54 left in the first quarter.
 
The game would remain close for the rest of the first half with neither team holding a lead of more than four points.
 
FIU (0-1) came out of the break hot as it opened a 39-30 lead just 1:23 into the second half thanks to a 10-0 run that was sparked by six points from Ekpiteta.  The Panthers would go on to lead by as many as 11 in the third quarter before the Patriots started to chip away at the advantage with FIU clinging to a 53-49 lead entering the final quarter.
 
The final quarter saw the Panthers extend the lead to seven at 56-49 with 9:16 left in regulation.  George Mason held FIU to four field goals the rest of the way and eventually claimed the lead for good with 1:46 left on layup by Amaya Scott.
 
For the game, FIU shot 45 percent (25-of-56) from the field, including an impressive 10-of-24 from beyond the arc for a 42 percent clip.
 
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers are back at home this Friday, Nov. 12 when they host Florida Memorial for a late afternoon matchup.
 
Tip off against the Lions is set for 4:30 p.m. ET at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on the FIU campus.

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.