MIAMI – FIU women's basketball (11-6, 4-2 CUSA) won its fourth straight conference game on Thursday night, defeating Sam Houston (11-6, 4-2 CUSA) 66-60 and jumping the Bearkats in the Conference USA standings.
Sam Houston entered the matchup as the top-rated defensive team in CUSA and lived up to that billing throughout the contest. FIU matched the Bearkats' defensive intensity early, holding Sam Houston to just eight points in the first quarter and taking a 17-8 lead after one.
The Bearkats responded in the second, scoring 23 points to take a 31-28 advantage into halftime.
Out of the break, the teams continued to battle back and forth, with FIU reclaiming a three-point lead heading into the final frame. Junior Adama Badjie Coly paced the Panthers in the third quarter with eight points. She finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds and one steal.
Trailing by four with 5:46 remaining, FIU went on an 8-0 run to seize control and never relinquished the lead. Grecia Ferrer Leal was big for FIU down the stretch, scoring seven of her nine points in the final four minutes of the game.
For the second straight contest, the Panthers sealed the win at the free-throw line, going a perfect 8-for-8 in the final 1:39.
Senior Parris Atkins led all Panthers with 14 points, while adding five rebounds and four steals in an all-around performance.
Junior Denika Lightbourne rounded out FIU's double-figure scorers with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. The Bahamas native also recorded seven rebounds, five assists and one block.
The victory marks FIU's longest conference winning streak since the 2023-24 season, when the Panthers opened CUSA play with five consecutive wins.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will stay at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center when they welcome Louisiana Tech on Saturday, January 24 at 1 p.m. ET.
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