Lexington, Ky. – Junior forward Ajae Yoakum made the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left in the game to give the Panthers (14-19, 7-13 C-USA) a 74-73 lead as four Panthers scored in double figures to defeat the University of North Dakota (19-13, 11-7 Summit League) in the final round of the Women's Basketball Invitational Sunday afternoon at the Clive M. Beck Center.
 
The win today marks the second time in the last three seasons the Panthers are the Consolation Bracket Champions in the WBI. The Panthers will finish the season with back-to-back wins after defeating the University of Illinois at Chicago in the second day of the WBI, 68-65.
 
Yoakum was a huge lift off the Panthers bench scoring 13 points and was a presence in the paint leading all players with 12 rebounds. Four of those rebounds were on the offensive glass and Yoakum recorded her second double-double of the season.
 
FIU's leading scorer was senior guard Kaliah Henderson finishing with 18 points off the bench and was second on the team with eight rebounds. Henderson finished the season as FIU's leading scorer averaging 15.7 points per game, the fifth best scoring mark in Conference USA.
 
The senior capped off the season by extending her streak of scoring double digit points in the WBI to 19 straight games and 22 of the last 23. The Panthers' second unit was a key difference maker today outscoring the Hawks bench 35-11, headlined by Yoakum and Henderson.
 
Today FIU tallied seven three pointers, and four of them were provided by senior guard Olivia Trice who finished second on the Panthers in scoring with 16 points. Trice shot 40% from three-point range and chipped in two rebounds and two steals.
Another starter in double figures was sophomore guard Tanajah Hayes. After recording 14 points yesterday to help FIU advance to the consolation championship, Hayes stepped up again against the Hawks with 11 points, five rebounds, and a team leading four assists.
 
Another factor that helped FIU in the win was their rebounding and free throw shooting. The Panthers corralled 10 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second chance points and outshot North Dakota from the charity stripe, 17-19 (89%).
 
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