MIAMI – A 40-point explosion from Rhema Collins powered FIU women's basketball to a high-scoring 103-92 win over Georgia State on Friday evening.
Collins shattered her previous career-high of 19 points, delivering FIU's first 40-point performance since 2017, when Alexis Gordon reached the mark against Vermont. The junior became just the seventh player in FIU history to score 40 in a game and recorded the highest single-game total of the Jesyka Burks-Wiley era.
Her outing is also one of only seven 40-point games in NCAA women's basketball this season, tied for the sixth-highest individual scoring performance nationwide.
FIU set the tone early in the shootout, dropping a season-high 37 points in the first quarter and adding 26 more in the second. The Panthers' 63 first-half points marked the most in any opening half under Burks-Wiley, sending FIU into the break with a commanding 63-44 lead.
Georgia State mounted a late push, trimming the deficit to six with 49 seconds remaining, but a clutch 5-0 run by the Panthers sealed FIU's fourth win of the season and moved them above .500 for the first time this year.
Along with her 40 points, the Bahamas native Collins collected her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and three steals.
FIU had four additional players score in double figures. Parris Atkins totaled 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Freshman Grecia Ferrer Leal posted a new career-high with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting, along with five boards, three assists, and three steals.
Judit Valero added her first double-digit performance of the season with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Ndate Ndiaye rounded out the group with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting.
The 103-point output is FIU's highest since the program posted a record 132 points in the 2024–25 season opener. It also marks the sixth 100-point game of the Burks-Wiley era.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will head up to Boca Raton to matchup against their in-state rival, Florida Atlantic, on December 15 at 7 p.m., to be broadcasted on ESPN+.
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