Jon Gonzalez | Staff Writer
The FIU Panthers have added to their losing streak with their loss to the FAU Owls at home on Saturday, Nov. 23, making it four straight games following their season opener without a win.
To begin the quarter, the Panthers missed their first seven shots and both of senior forward Isnelle Natabou’s free throws, while the Owls took the opportunity to build up a solid 8-0 lead.
Their lead could have been even larger if it were not for the great interior defense from the combination of Bineta Diatta and Natabou, who have really evolved their game and complement each other extensively when on the floor together.
Diatta’s reaction speed and footwork give her just enough to work in the post against bigger bodies on defense, giving Natabou the freedom to stand out in the midrange and help drive ball-handlers to the corners.
At any given moment, the two can switch their roles, as Natabou can take over inside while Diatta shifts outward to better help an oncoming player or double-team with another player if needed.
They are not the only ones who have figured out their dynamic defensively. Almost the entire Panther defense has managed to adjust their games to one another and has helped curb the problems they have had offensively so far this season.
Lucia Fleta Robles’ return in these last two games has helped immensely. Her steady hand and experience in the backcourt give the Panthers another player to rely on while Tanajah Hayes and Mya Kone have continued to miss time this season.
Unfortunately, their defense can only do so much. However, the Panthers’ offense began to pick up some steam in the second half of the first quarter and climbed back to make the game a competitive FIU 11, FAU 16 to close it out.
The second quarter is when the game slowly began to grow out of reach for the Panthers, as some of the consistent issues they have had this season reappeared once more.
This team looked its best during the game when it played small, but they do not embrace all of the advantages that come with it.
Advantages such as the ability to move the ball quickly and attack in transition, which the Panthers struggled with all game. They would consistently slow the offense down when they had chances and ultimately let FAU defenders catch up.
Another is outside shooting. The team as a whole only took six 3-pointers in the entire second half.
Judit Valero Rodriguez has been the team’s most reliable sharpshooter from deep this season, with her 37.5% 3-point percentage leading all players who have appeared in every game.
However, she was not used at all in the second half, which demonstrates one of the greatest flaws of this Panthers team during this game and this season.
They are too reliant on Parris Atkins.
Atkins got red hot in the 4th quarter, part of a late Panthers surge to try and come back from down eighteen points to start the period.
But she struggled with turnovers throughout the game and faced significant pressure due to her high usage rate.
Her seventeen shot attempts led the entire team, but she made only six of them.
She is not solely responsible for the hole they were in throughout the game, but her misses did not help.
All of the major Panthers starters outside of Lucia Fleta Robles were largely inefficient from the field, reinforcing the Panthers’ issues with missed shots so far this season.
Despite their combined effort in the 4th, it was not enough for the Panthers, as they lost 62-52 to bring their season win-to-loss ratio to 1-4.
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