Miami, Fla - FIU Women's Hoops will kick-off the MTE Christmas Classic against Texas State University Monday, December 18th at 12:00 p.m. at the Oceanbank Convocation Center.
Monday, December 18th vs Texas State
*Since 2006
FIU (6-4) is coming off a win over Florida Atlantic where they bested their in-state rivals 65-62.
A strong opening frame set the tone for the Panthers throughout the game. Dominating the rebounding in the first quarter, FIU secured six offensive rebounds, leading to 12 second-chance points en route to a 20-11 lead at the end of the period.
FIU led going into halftime and continued their offensive prowess throughout the second half. Graduate Student Courtney Prenger established dominance coming out of halftime, with 11 of her 15 points coming in the final 20 minutes. The forward ended the afternoon with five rebounds, two assists and a steal on top of her 15 points.Â
Lockdown defense down the stretch was another storyline leading to an FIU victory. With a steal and a block in the half, senior Ajae Yoakum contributed to the three blocks and four steals in the second half alone. The 6'0 forward was a force on the offensive side of the ball as well, putting up 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. She rounded off her performance with 4 assists, two blocks and two steals in the game.
Graduate Student Kaliah Henderson capped off a big win for the Panthers with 16 points of her own in the contest, with seven of those points coming in the fourth quarter. The guard ended the night with nine rebounds, three assists and a steal. As a team, FIU did not falter into the final push, putting up 18 in the quarter on 50% shooting.Â
Scouting Texas State
Texas State (6-3) will come into Monday's game coming off a 72-46 win over Denver.Â
TXS currently sits at 7th in the Sun Belt Conference standings. The Bobcats sit at 10th in the SBC with 68 points per game, but are third in points allowed per game with 55.1. Texas State also shoots from three at a high clip, placing second in the conference in three-point percentage at 35.7%, and are allowing the fewest rebounds by an opponent in the conference with 32.4
They are led by Graduate Student Ja'Niah Henson, who is averaging 12.1 points per game, most on the Bobcats so far this season. The guard also leads the Sun Belt in three-point percentage, shooting the long ball at 42.5%. Henson's teammate, Junior Tiffany Tullis is second in the Sun Belt in rebounds per game with 8.9. Sitting at 5'11, Tullis is third on Texas State in points per game at 8.7.
This will be the first meeting between FIU and Texas State.
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.
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