BOCA RATON, Fla. – Junior forward Ajae Yoakum led the Panthers with 14 points as the FIU women's basketball team fell to Florida Atlantic University Tuesday night in the first Conference USA game of the season, 70-60, at FAU Arena.
 
FIU's record drops to 4-4 overall, while FAU moves to 7-1 on the season and extends their winning streak to six games.
 
Three Panthers finished in double figures in a back-and-forth battle that had 15 lead changes and 12 ties. The largest lead FIU had was eight points when they were leading 42-34 midway through the third quarter.
 
The Panthers' bench was a huge lift to help them stay in striking distance. The unit was led by sophomore guard Tanajah Hayes who finished tied for the team lead with 14 points on 5-13 shooting from the field. She also chipped in four assists, three steals, and made two of the three 3-pointers by FIU.
 
Kaliah Henderson continues her strong senior campaign and was also a factor off the FIU bench finishing with 11 points and five rebounds.
  
The Owls finished with the edge in points inside the paint, 34-32, and had a productive night from the charity stripe making 23-30 from the line (77%).
 
Three Owls finished in double figures, led by Alexa Zaph with a game high 18 points, followed by Aniya Hubbard (16), and Jane Rozentale (10).
 
FIU's 60 points marked a season-low for the Panthers, as Howard forced 14 turnovers and scored 11 points off those FIU mistakes.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will return to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center and host the FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown from Dec.19-20. FIU will be one of four teams competing in the tournament and their first game is against George Mason University on Monday, Dec. 19 at 12 p.m. The game will be streamed on CUSA.tv
 
TICKETS
For more information on FIU tickets to FIU basketball home games, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit HERE.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@fiuwbb), Twitter (@FIUWBB), and Facebook (@FIUWBasketball) for all the latest Women's Basketball news. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.