Ruben Palacios /Staff Writer
FIU’s four-game winning streak, which was their second longest of the year, ended on Feb. 21 by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The Trojans fought fire with fire; they traveled to Miami on a seven-game winning streak. The Trojans proved to be too much to handle for FIU, beating them 51-47.
UALR played stifling defense on junior Jerica Coley for 35 minutes. Coley, not easily phased by a 17-point UALR lead, valiantly brought her team from behind. She cut the huge lead down to three points with 17 seconds left in the game, but that was as close as she brought her squad.
UALR had another big winning streak that should have caught the attention of the FIU coaching staff. Entering the contest, the Trojans had won 79 consecutive games when holding their opponents under 50 points. Under Head Coach Joe Foley, the Trojans are 106-5 when allowing opponents to 50 points or less.
Russian native Marita Davydova is first on the team with 8.5 rebounds per game and second in scoring at a 10.3 mark.
“It was a very physical game,” said Head Coach Cindy Russo. “We needed people to step up but they just beat us down.”
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 17-10 (11-7 Sun Belt Conference).
FAILED LAST STAND
The matchup with UALR was a big game. Both teams were on winning streaks, it was a conference game and potential seeding in the upcoming conference tournament was also up in the air. But there was something larger at risk for the Panthers. The game was the last home game of the season, and that represented the final home game for three impact players.
Seniors Carmen Miloglav, Finda Mansare and Diamond Ashmore played their final home game against UALR. The loss was the first on a senior night since 2010.
Miloglav and Mansare have been a part of the program for the past four years. Miloglav has been a regular in the starting rotation since her freshman year and Mansare is an All-Second Team Sun Belt Conference Preseason selection.
Ashmore transferred to FIU from junior college before last season and has been a defensive anchor to the second unit. Recently, Ashmore has played seven games within the starting rotation and has enjoyed much success. Her late-season surge has her leading the team in field goal percentage at a clip of 52 percent.
“You can’t say enough about them. They work so hard and they have been great contributions,” Russo said about her trio of seniors. “We shall miss them.”
STANDING TALL
Junior Marita Davydova continues to lead the Panthers in rebounding at an astounding rate of 8.5 rebounds per game. Davydova has led the team in rebounding in five consecutive games and in 18 of 27 games this season.
In her first year at FIU and playing basketball in the states, the Russian transfer is defying the odds by currently ranking third in the SBC in rebounding. Davydova also registered a team-leading nine double-double performances this season. Davydova is the rebounding anchor on a team that leads the conference in outrebounding opponents.
On top of being the primary post presence, Davydova is also the second scoring option behind Coley. Other than Coley, she is the only other Panther scoring at a double-digit clip at 10.3 points per game.
