MIAMI (Feb. 24, 2022) - The FIU women's basketball team fell to Charlotte at home on Thursday night by a score of 55-65 at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

The Panthers' record now stands at 12-14 on the season and 4-11 in Conference USA play. Charlotte improved to 17-8 overall and 13-2 in the league.
 
Grace Hunter scored a season-high 23 points. Kyla Nelson logged nine points and seven rebounds, while Emerald Ekpiteta had six points, six rebounds, and four steals.

The Panther bench outscored Charlotte 31-9 in the contest.

Defensively, the Blue & Gold forced 13 Charlotte turnovers and held the 49ers to only 38.7 percent shooting from the floor, including a lowly 13.3 percent clip from beyond the arc.

The Panthers were ahead after the first quarter of play by a margin of 14-13, but the 49ers utilized a 16-9 advantage in the second quarter to gain a six-point lead (29-23) at halftime.

In the third quarter, Hunter scored 12 of her points and helped FIU finish the period on a 13-6 run, but the Panthers still trailed 40-50 heading into the final 10 minutes of play. Hunter had 19 points through three quarters.

Nelson splashed a 3-pointer at the 8:34 mark of the fourth quarter to cut FIU's deficit to only seven points, but the Panthers were unable to chip away at the lead any further as the 49ers held firm and maintained an advantage the rest of the way.

UP NEXT
FIU looks to rebound at home on Saturday, Feb. 26, against Old Dominion. Game time against the Monarchs is slated for Noon ET.

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.