LYNCHBURG, Va. - Women's basketball dropped their third consecutive matchup of conference play, falling to Liberty on Saturday afternoon, 83-54.

FIU trailed Liberty by just two at the end of the first quarter, but a 29-13 second quarter for the Flames gave Liberty a comfortable lead and they did not look back for the remainder of the contest.

The first quarter saw both teams start off strong offensively, with Liberty leading 16-14 at the end of the opening 10 minutes. Five Panthers scored, led by sophomore Judit Valero with five points. 

Liberty had the hot hand in the second quarter, shooting 61% from the field and putting up 29 points in the quarter before the half. The Flames went into halftime with a 45-27 lead.

Liberty continued shooting well in the penultimate frame, putting up 20 points to the Panthers' 13. Out of FIU's 13 third quarter points, senior Isnelle Natabou scored 12 on 5-5 shooting. The 6'5 center ended the match with her fourth 20+ game of the season, finishing with a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds. 

The Panthers went into the final quarter down 65-40.

Liberty once again out-scored the Panthers in the last 10 minutes, leading to FIU's fourth loss during the conference slate.

Junior Parris Atkins was the only other Panther to score in double-digits, ending the contest with 10 points and four rebounds.

UP NEXT
FIU will be back at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center to take on Jacksonville State on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.

TICKETS
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