Panthers Defeat Stetson in First Round of WNIT

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MIAMI, FL – FIU was losing late in this game against the Hatters. In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Rhema Collins showed exactly why she was worthy of Player of the Year honors.

After she delivered this game into overtime with a buzzer-beating shot, the Panthers had to make another comeback. The epic finale resulted in a 76-73 overtime win for the Panthers as they defeated Stetson in the first round of the WNIT.

“We were true to our identity, cardiac cats,” said head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley. I think for us, I share it with the girls. I don’t think we played our best basketball tonight. Also, I have to be realistic as a coach with all the kids.”

“I’m like, “raise your hands if you’ve ever been in a postseason game?” and you see all the hands fly up. Part of me is like, what’s going on? We’ve got a lot of kids that have never been there before. So, we’re fortunate enough to be in that situation, grow in that situation, and win.”

“To be able to learn and win is a blessing, and I thought we did a good job of that tonight. We had to learn in real time and figure it out in real time, and our kids did a really good job in digging it out for us.”

Even Game at Halftime

Stetson began the game scoring eight unanswered points and got up to a 14-5 lead. FIU would eventually flip the switch and go on a 15-0 scoring run, which carried over into the second quarter.

Caught ya sleeping 😴 pic.twitter.com/q0qgJvO6S8

— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) March 20, 2026

It was a collective effort between Rhema Collins, Parris Atkins, and Grecia Ferrer Leal, who forced turnovers, scored in the paint, and drew fouls.

With 5:40 to go in the quarter, FIU was up 25-15 and looked unstoppable thanks to Collins and Atkins yet again. The Hatters would then go on an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to two points.

Ju 👌 pic.twitter.com/cvawSMgU1K

— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) March 20, 2026

After both teams scored 14 points in the first quarter, they went on to score 16 apiece to go into halftime square even at 30.

Their shots didn’t always convert in the first half as they made 36.7% of them, but it was the nine steals on defense that helped them stay in this game.

The Shot Heard Around the World

Following an 8-0 run, the Panthers found themselves up 42-34 midway through the third quarter. However, Stetson scored the next six points to cut FIU’s lead back to two. The Hatters led 45-44 at the end of the quarter.

HUGE BUCKET pic.twitter.com/qzdpeCMq5m

— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) March 21, 2026

For the majority of the fourth quarter, the game saw several ties and was kept within a two-basket lead. After Collins tied the game at 58 with a pair of free throws at the 1:03 mark, Stetson would go on to score the go-ahead basket plus three additional free-throw shots.

Down 63-58 with 12 seconds to go, FIU needed shots and stops in a hurry. Rhema Collins was the unsung hero here, grabbing an offensive rebound and then scoring a jumper to bring it within three points. Then, she stole a bad pass turnover and made a buzzer-beating three-point shot, sending this game to overtime.

RHEMA ARE YOU KIDDING‼️

WE ARE GOING TO OVERTIME 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jKIf89OI2d

— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) March 21, 2026

In the second half, shots were clicking at a better rate for FIU. They shot 47.8% from the floor and were better from downtown, going 55.6%. Their shots were critical since the turnovers got out of hand. The Panthers committed a total of 15 in the half.

The Cardiac Cats Survive and Advance

Following a quick 7-0 run from the Hatters in overtime, the Panthers found themselves by five once again. There was no reason for them to panic, though, as Judit Valero made a driving layup and then a three-point bucket to put the game at 70.

Down by two, Fantasia James converted on a step-back three-point jumper, making it 73-72 with 1:14 to go. Grecia Ferrer Leal put the Panthers up by a pair once again in the fifth period with a layup. Collins scored a late free-throw shot to seal the game, 76-73.

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE 😤@FIUWBB takes down Stetson in overtime to move to the second round of the WNIT#FIU #PawsUp #Panthers pic.twitter.com/lz0ahFK5DV

— Paws Up Podcast (@PawsUpPodcast) March 21, 2026

A testament to their shots going in was that they went in at the times when they mattered most. The Panthers went on to hit their last four field goal shots of the game.

Collins is now tied for first in Conference USA with 14 double-doubles. She led the team with 24 points on 9/16 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

“I mean, to be honest, I didn’t expect any of this,” said Rhema Collins. “I would say my main mindset was just…I had something to prove, and whatever it came with, that was just added on. My coach believed in me, my teammates believed in me.”

Valero finished with 13 points on 3/9 shooting from behind the arc, four rebounds, and three assists. Atkins scored 13 as well, and she added four rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Ferrer Leal scored 12 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed a pair of rebounds, and made a couple of steals.

This was the second overtime victory of the season for FIU Women’s Basketball. The last time this occurred was in the 2009-10 season when they defeated Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic.

For FIU, this was their second straight victory against Stetson in the first round of the WNIT. The Panthers are now 7-9 all-time in the tournament.

Jesyka Burks-Wiley matched her career-high of 21 wins in a season, previously set in the 2023-24 season.

“Obviously, it’s very, very exciting, but for me getting into this business, if you get to count wins, it’s tough,” said Coach Burks-Wiley. Getting to 21 wins is obviously great, but most importantly [what] I’ve appreciated about this group, [is] they’ve shown me that joy and success can co-exist.”

“I talked about last year’s group, where I think we had a lot of joy, and I loved coaching those kids, but we were injured and couldn’t win. I’ve had other groups where I’m like, “yeah, we’re figuring it out, but I just don’t feel like the cohesion is quite there.” This group, honestly, as a coach, has been so fun to coach them.”

“It’s great when you can look up, and it’s like “oh yeah, great 21 wins,” but for me it’s been much more enjoyable just seeing joy and success exist co-actively. So, am I happy about it? Sure, but most importantly, I love that our kids are enjoying it. They’re having fun, and they’re reaping the fruit of that. That’s what’s most important in all of this.”

On Deck

FIU will head up to Abilene Christian for the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday, March 24, at 7 pm.

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