NORFOLK, Virginia (Feb. 7, 2022) - The FIU women's basketball team fought hard on the road against ODU, but the Panthers ultimately came up short against the Monarchs by a score of 61-73.

FIU now sits at 11-10 on the season (3-7 Conference USA) while ODU improved to 17-5 (7-3 C-USA).

Emerald Ekpiteta was the highlight of the night for FIU as the Panther logged her one-thousandth career point in the fourth quarter. The fifth-year forward also went 6-for-7 at the free-throw line to lead all Panthers.

Three Panthers scored in double figures with Grace Hunter (15), Ariel Colon (13), and Ekpiteta (10) leading the way for FIU.

The Panther defense was disruptive once again, forcing 23 ODU turnovers and grabbing 11 steals.

After trailing 21-35 at the half, the Panthers outscored the Monarchs 20-17 in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 11 points to start the fourth.

FIU trimmed the ODU lead to single digits twice in the final 10 minutes, including at the 7:16 mark when the Panthers scored three unanswered buckets. Ekpiteta later cut the deficit to 61-70 with 1:44 remaining after scoring on a fastbreak and collecting her thousandth point, but the Monarchs were able to stave off the Panther comeback.

Nelson also logged a game-high five steals and a team-high seven rebounds. The sharpshooting forward is one 3-pointer away from reaching 200 for her career.

Hunter notched her seventh-straight contest scoring in double figures and also dished a team-high five assists.

Colon grabbed six boards and a steal.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center this Thursday, Feb. 10, for a contest against Marshall. Game time against the Thundering Herd is set for 7 p.m. 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.