By Cristhian Plasencia/Contributing Writer
The FIU women’s basketball team was defeated by the Bethune Cookman Wildcats, 77-59, on Monday night at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Turnovers and a scarcity of rebounds were focal points in the team’s loss, as the Panthers picked up their second loss of the season.
“It was a disappointing effort on our end,” said Coach Tiara Malcom. “We didn’t get to loose balls, we weren’t fast enough. We were being pressed and we turned the ball over.”
Under five minutes in the second quarter, FIU led the game by 27-25. Guards Alexis Gordon and Kristian Hudson shot efficiently from the field.
Hudson made three triples, scored 11 of 23 in the first half. Gordon scored 8 points in the first half. Both teams struggled to get going offensively – FIU outscored the Wildcats nine to four points in the second quarter.
“It was good to see Alexis take some shots, obviously in the Miami game they took her out and then she couldn’t get herself going on the defensive end, so she was a little more present. We still need more things from her, but it was good to see her finally knock down some shots,” Coach Malcom said.
Gordon only played seven minutes in the season opener against Miami, but played 28 minutes against the Wildcats.
“I started out better and therefore I was able to get more minutes. It was just the level of focused I came in with and how much I was able to deliver,” said Gordon.
The Panthers struggled to score on second chance points, and had no help from the bench to sustain their lead. Bethune-Cookman finished the half on a 14-2 run, giving the Wildcats a 32-22 point lead.
”We couldn’t get a stop, we would score and then they would come down and score. You can’t make up for that margin if you’re volleying back and forth,” Coach Malcom said.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Gordon nailed a three-pointer cutting the lead to six. However Bethune Cookman guard, Chasimmie Brown, got in rhythm and scored nine points throughout the third quarter.
FIU forward Callie Cavanaugh consistently scuffled for position under the basket, but struggled to seal lanes in the paint.
“Once the third quarter hit, they started to get a run, we couldn’t stop them. It came to a point where we said ‘we’re down so let me take the first shot’,” said Gordon. “Defensively, we weren’t playing personnel, 11 [Ashanti Hunt) had long drives and we struggled to get back on defense.”
Heading into the fourth quarter, FIU kept the deficit close and managed to be only down by nine points.
Offensive struggles overwhelmed the Panthers, as they were only able to mustard four points within the first five minutes. Players rushed their shots, not giving time to let the play develop, attempting shots beyond the arc.
“At times we were selfish today,” said Coach Malcom. We were trying to score off the first pass or off the first screen action, and that’s not us. We not have dynamic players that can score one-on-one. We have to be able to share the ball for us to be successful.”
The Wildcats established a 13-4 run that propelled a 70-52 lead. The Panthers failed to ignite a comeback to keep the score close. Bethune-Cookman scored 20 points over FIU’s 11 points in the fourth quarter.
FIU will tipoff against FGCU on Wednesday night at 7.pm from the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, as the Panthers continue their homestand.