FRISCO, Texas (March 11, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team fell in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Championships on Thursday afternoon, as the Panthers dropped a 77-60 decision to the top-seeded Rice Owls.

Emerald Ekpiteta led a trio of Panthers in double-figures, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Guards Fujika Nimmo and Kyla Nelson scored 16 and 10 points respectively.
 
FIU landed the first punch of the afternoon by opening the game on a 12-2 run, with Ekpiteta and Nimmo accounting for all 12 points. The Panther lead grew to as much as 11 before Rice stormed back to take a two-point advantage heading into halftime.

After the break, Rice opened the second half on a 20-3 run that put the Owls in control. FIU outscored Rice 18-16 in the final 10 minutes of the contest however, but the Panthers couldn't overcome the deficit as the regular-season champion Owls earned the 77-60 win. 
 
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