Jon Gonzalez | Staff Writer
The FIU women’s team opened the season at home in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center with a splash on Monday, Nov. 4 against the FNU Conquistadors. With much anticipation after last season’s loss to Troy in the WNIT playoffs, all eyes were on Coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley and the Panthers to see how they’d come back.
They would come back with a fury.
With starters Tanajah Hayes, Lucia Fleta Robles, Paris Atkins, Mya Kone and Isnelle Natabou all sharing the court as one unit for the first time, there were no guarantees their chemistry on the court would be great to start off.
It certainly looked that way in the first half, despite accumulating a 24-point lead by the end of the first quarter many of the starters were largely inefficient from the field.
Kone specifically had an unusually slow start, only making 2 of her 8 shot attempts for a total field-goal percentage of 25%. Kone had been trying to find open looks from deep throughout the first and second quarter, but many of her shots bounced off the rim anytime she settled for jumpers.
However, Kone’s rebounding proficiency was on full display as she grabbed 11 rebounds to close out the first half, which was the most on the team.
Atkins as an early game scorer looked confident driving to the rim, and regularly fought through contact from FNU defenders to make a basket. Her presence as a slasher for the interior will be something to look out for in the future.
Robles, who joined the Panthers in the off-season, was the most efficient scorer from the field out of everyone who played, with a 75% field-goal percentage on 4 attempts.
The entire team got time to play and stretch their muscles, as every single active member on the roster played at least 5 minutes of game time by the end of the first half, which had FIU up by 47 points for a score of 60 – 13.
Burks-Wiley would frequently bring players in and out throughout the first half to create varying combinations of lineups that kept FNU on its toes defensively.
In a post-game interview with Burks-Wiley, she spoke on the rotation of her lineups and if it’s something to look out for.
“That is definitely the game plan, that’s why we recruit the way that we do. We want to be able to throw multiple lineups at people, we want to be able to give people multiple looks so they never get a chance to really figure us out.”
Despite the lead, the Panthers would not take their foot off the gas in the second half.
Almost every player would contribute in some way to ensure that the lead they’d built would only continue to grow, from bench general Judit Valero Rodriguez dishing out dimes to Angena Belloso racking up steals, everyone got some time to shine on the court.
A major factor in the game was the size disparity between FIU and FNU, with FNU trotting out smaller lineups that were quick but struggled against the Panther’s long-armed defenders in the perimeter.
Everyone on defense guarded every inch of the court, even Isnelle Natabou gravitated out towards the perimeter on occasion when she knew Kone or Bineta Diatta had her covered in the post.
Diatta and Claudia Marina Gonzalez especially were lockdown on defense, regularly forcing FNU ballhandlers into tough shots or into a corner where they’d have to pass in order to get the ball free.
Speaking on Gonzalez specifically, who made an impact all over the court throughout the game, Burks-Wiley said,
“She’s super competitive, she’s really ferocious and wants to be the aggressor. I think now that she’s had time to settle into our defense and our principles, tonight was a great display for her to show people that she could be one of our best defenders in the next four years.”
The night would end with a final score of 132-25, with the Panther’s 132 points being the most in program history, beating a record set all the way back in 1982, where the Panthers scored 128 against Flagler.
Up next for the Panthers is another home game on Friday, Nov. 8 against the Abilene Christian University Wildcats.
These two teams haven’t met since Mar. 20 of 2021, when the Panthers beat the Wildcats by 17 points for a 78 – 61 win.
Abilene is coming off a blowout game of their own, beating Southwest University by 57 points in a 95 – 38 victory. Abilene had a middling season last year, but with a strong start to the season they could prove a good challenge early in the year.
With the momentum of both teams coming to a head, we’ll have to wait and see which way the ball will roll.
Score Prediction:
FIU: 84
USW: 76
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