MIAMI – FIU women's basketball (3-3) claimed the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament Championship with a 64-59 victory over Seattle (3-5) on Saturday.
Senior Parris Atkins delivered a career performance, scoring 20 points and recording a career-high seven steals. Her final steal of the afternoon marked the 100th Division I steal of her career, putting an exclamation point on an outstanding game.
The contest was tightly contested from the opening tip, with FIU edging out the Redhawks 25-24 in the first quarter and 37-36 at halftime. The Panthers began to create separation in the third, sparked by seven points from freshman Grecia Ferrer Leal and eight from Atkins, helping FIU enter the final frame with a 56-47 lead.
Ferrer notched her second consecutive double-digit scoring outing with 10 points, while also contributing five rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Despite a late push from Seattle, the Panthers held strong to secure their third win of the season and return to .500.
Two other Panthers joined Atkins and Ferrer in double figures in junior Rhema Collins who scored 15 points, her fifth straight double-digit effort since joining FIU, along with six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Sophomore Ndate Ndiaye posted a career-high 13 points, adding seven rebounds and two steals.
FIU protected the ball effectively, committing a season-low 12 turnovers, and outperformed Seattle in several key categories including, points off turnovers (23-10), second-chance points (13-6), and total steals (15-5).
UP NEXT
The Panthers will welcome Georgia State to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center for their first night game of the season on December 5 at 7 p.m., to be broadcasted on ESPN+.
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