Ruston, LA - FIU Women's Hoops erases a seven-point deficit with 1:10 left to go in the game to beat Louisiana Tech on their home court by a score of 73-71. Five Panthers scored in double digits, led by Tanajah Hayes' 14 points.
Grit was the name of the game for the Panthers for all four quarters on Thursday night, as FIU was led by the lockdown defense of Tanajah Hayes, who led the Panthers with a team high 14 points and four steals, her last steal sealing the game for the Panthers and allowing Hayes to score the winning layup with 17 seconds left.
Five players scored in the first quarter, led by forwards Courtney Prenger and Maria Torres, both of which scored four in the first 10. FIU bullied the Lady Techsters down low, putting up 10 points in the paint in the opening frame alone and 38 points in the paint in the game, out-scoring the Bulldogs by 12 in the stat. Graduate student Prenger finished with 11 points and a steal in just 15 minutes of play, while senior Maria Torres ended with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 23 minutes.
FIU continued to disperse the shooting into the second quarter, with seven Panthers putting up buckets in the period, led by junior Tanajah Hayes with 8 on 3-3 shooting and 2-2 from beyond the arc. The Panthers went on a 12-6 run over the final 2:56 of the first half to take the lead going into the locker rooms, with Kaliah Henderson putting a charge into the FIU bench with halftime buzzer-beater triple. The graduate student ended the game tied for second most points on the team with 12, on an incredibly efficient 4-4 shooting and 3-5 from the charity stripe. The guard tacked on three rebounds, one assist and one steal to round out a great night for the fifth year.
The hard-nosed contest continued into the second half, with FIU and LA Tech trading buckets for the remainder of the game until the fourth quarter, when the Lady Techsters went on an 11-1 run from 6:56 mark to the 1:19 mark of the final frame, taking a seven-point lead with time running out for the Panthers. It was then that FIU's determination prevailed, with Maria Torres hitting a layup with 1:04 left to play in the game to cut the deficit to five. FIU started fouling, and the Bulldogs hit one of two free-throws at the other end to lengthen their lead to six with 58 seconds left to play. LA Tech struggled from the charity stripe, hitting only 17-29 for a 58.6% clip.
At the other end, Mya Kone buried a huge triple to get within three points of the Bulldogs. The Lady Techsters once again went one for two on free-throws after the Panthers fouled, and the Panthers went on a 6-0 run to end the game thanks to steals from Angena Belloso and Tanajah Hayes that led to the tying and winning buckets on the other end, sealing FIU's 15th win of the year, surpassing their win total of 14 from a season ago.
Mya Kone was the final Panther to score in double digits, putting up 12 in the game with her biggest points coming down the stretch in the fourth on a three ball and two huge free throws.
FIU forced 19 turnovers in the game, capitalizing with 23 points off turnovers. They also battled on the offensive board, corralling 12 and putting up 16 second chance points as opposed to the Bulldogs nine. With the win, the Panthers snapped a six-game losing streak against LA Tech and have won 12 of their last 14.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will stay on the road and travel to Sam Houston for a Saturday matinee on February third at 3:00 p.m. ET.
TICKETS
For more information on FIU tickets to FIU basketball home games, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit HERE.
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 @FIUAthletics on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.