FRANKFORT, Kentucky (March 19, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team fell to Northern Arizona in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitational on Friday night by a score of 82-69.

FIU will continue play in the WBI on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET, as the Panthers face Abilene Christian in the consolation bracket. 

Friday's game was a hard-fought effort by FIU, with the lead changing hands multiple times before NAU put together an 8-2 run late in the third quarter to wrestle control away from the Panthers. 
 
Jiselle Thomas continued her scoring tear by leading the Panthers with 19 points on the evening. FIU had three other players join Thomas in double-figures, with Emerald Ekpiteta (15), Fujika Nimmo (10) and Diene Diane (10) all aiding the scoring effort on Friday night. Diane also added 10 boards to her stat line to earn the second double-double of the season for the Panther. 
 
Kyla Nelson's 3-pointer on Friday night broke FIU's single-season record for most treys made, as the Panther guard now has 66 for the 2020-21 campaign. 

UP NEXT
The Panthers will take on the Abilene Christian Wildcats on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET in the semifinals of the consolation bracket. Depending on Saturday's outcome, FIU will play at Noon or 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. 
 
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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.