FRISCO, Texas (Mar. 9, 2022) - The FIU women's basketball team had its run in the Conference USA Tournament cut short on Wednesday night, as the Panthers fell to No. 3 seed Southern Miss in the second round by a score of 60-78.

The No. 6 seeded Panthers saw two players score in double-figures, with Emerald Ekpiteta (11) and Tanajah Hayes (10) leading the way.  Ekpiteta logged a team-high six rebounds and three steals in the contest. Grace Hunter led the squad with four assists.

FIU forced 18 Southern Miss turnovers, while the Panther bench outscored the Lady Eagles' bench 24-21.

After a tough first quarter that saw FIU fall behind by double figures (25-44), the Panthers came out strong in the third period and outscored Southern Miss by a margin of 16-11. FIU held the Lady Eagles to only 39 percent shooting from the floor in the third quarter and finished the period on a 7-0 run. 

Entering the final frame down 41-55, the Panthers had an opportunity to build on the momentum and chip away at the deficit, but the Lady Eagles utilized their own 7-0 run early in the period to pull away once again. Southern Miss shot 53 percent on field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter while holding FIU to only 30 percent shooting as the Lady Eagles sealed the victory and advanced to the third round of the league tournament.

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