DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Dec. 14, 2021) - The FIU women's basketball team rode a hot second half to victory over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night in Daytona Beach, as the Panthers defeated the Wildcats by a score of 68-57.

With the win, the Blue & Gold improved to 6-3 on the season and 2-1 on the road.

The 6-3 record marks FIU's best start to a season since the 2006-07 season, when the Panthers began that campaign 8-3 under legendary head coach Cindy Russo.

The Panthers earned their third victory by a margin of double-digits this season and have now held six of their last seven opponents to 60 points-or-less.

FIU sank 11 treys on the night and shot 38 percent as a team from beyond the arc. Raquel Ferrer-Bernad paced the squad with four long-balls on a perfect 100 percent clip, while Olivia Trice and Kyla Nelson sank three treys apiece.

Four different Panthers scored in double digits, with Ferrer-Bernad (14), Trice (14), Emerald Ekpiteta (13), and Nelson (12) leading the way.

Ekpiteta posted her second double-double of the season after grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds, while also recording a game-high six assists and three steals.

The Blue & Gold were ahead for a total time of 31:13 in the contest and saw a lead as large as 18 points.

FIU led by a margin of 15-14 after the first quarter, driven by Ekpiteta's five points and five boards in the period. The Panthers and Wildcats traded buckets in the second quarter as the contest saw four lead changes and five ties in the frame.

Leading by only 28-26 at the intermission, the Blue & Gold offense ignited coming out of the locker room and outscored BCU by a margin of 23-11 in the third quarter. FIU shot 58.3 percent from the floor in the third period including 62.5 percent from deep, as the Panthers sank five treys and pushed their lead to 14 points (51-37) to close the quarter.

Nelson went three-for-three on 3-pointers in the frame, while Ferrer-Bernad hit two-of-two attempts. The FIU defense held BCU to a lowly 23.1 percent shooting on FG attempts in the third period.

FIU kept its foot on the gas in the fourth quarter, as the Panthers never led by less than 10 points and pushed their advantage to 18 points (66-48) with 2:10 remaining in the contest. Trice connected on two long-balls in the fourth quarter, while Ferrer-Bernad and Hayes splashed one each.

OTHER NOTES
The Panthers have made at least nine treys in four different games this season.

Ferrer-Bernad and Trice logged season-highs in scoring against BCU.

FIU's defense forced 19 BCU turnovers on the night.

The Panther bench outscored the Wildcat reserves by a margin of 26-17.

Freshman Tanajah Hayes chipped in defensively with three steals, while Trice logged two steals and two blocks.

Maria Torres grabbed six boards and logged one block in the contest as the Panther continues to lead FIU in blocks per game (1).

UP NEXT
FIU is back at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center to host the Holiday Hoops Showdown, beginning with a contest against Binghamton on Monday, Dec. 20, at 11 a.m. ET. The Panthers close out the tournament on Dec. 21, against UMass Lowell at 1 p.m.

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.