Ruben Palacios/staff writer
In their last regular season game of the year, the same duo that carried the FIU women’s basketball team to end were the ones to finish it.
Jerica Coley led all scorers with 29 points, and Marita Davydova posted yet another double-double to power the Panthers in a 68-65 victory against FAU. With the victory, FIU finishes the regular season at 18-11 (12-8 SBC) while FAU dropped to 12-16 (9-11 SBC).
Early in the first half it was all FIU; they lead by as many as 10 points at the seven minute mark. FAU, though, would fight its way back into the contest and eventually take a 26-25 lead with three minutes left in the opening stanza. A couple of Coley buckets put the Panthers back on top and they took a 34-33 advantage into the break.
The second half saw a lot back and forth action between the two squads. Mid-way through the half, FAU took its largest lead at 51-46 and they would remain on top until Davydova split a pair of free throws with 32 seconds remaining in the game, giving her squad a 66-65 edge. A pair of Coley free throws put a dagger in FAU’s efforts and the Panthers took the contest 68-65.
Coley netted 29 points on an efficient 11 of 19 shooting from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Davydova registered her 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 boards.
For the game, the Panthers shot 48 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range, and 75 percent from the free throw line. FAU shot 43.8 percent from the field and just 27.3 percent from three-point land, and 60 percent from the charity stripe.
FIU will step on the hardwood again when they travel to Hot Springs, Ark., for the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, held March 8-11 at Summit Arena. The Panthers are the No.5 seed and will square off against No.4 seed Arkansas State on March 9. FIU is 0-2 this season against the Red Wolves.
