Panthers Down Jax State, Advance In CUSA Tournament

With a first-round bye under their belts, FIU Women’s Basketball took down Jacksonville State in a back-and-forth contest, pulling away late to win by a score of 76-66. This marks the first win in a CUSA Tournament for FIU since their 2021-22 season, and their seventh win all-time.

The second seed in the tourney, the Panthers took down the Gamecocks by relying on their top talent, as per usual. Parris Atkins was at the helm, providing solid numbers on both offense and defense. With her 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal, she was a major force in the win.

Jacksonville State gave the Panthers all they could handle in this game, pulling away in the first half before FIU bounced right back. They were down by some wide margins, but battled back enough to only be down 35-32 at halftime.

Atkins ended up leading the team in points after four quarters, but Gracia Ferrer Leal had her way early. With five points and eventually four assists, the freshman from Spain was a major contributor.

The Third Quarter Made The Difference

In the second half, both teams exchanged the lead with back-and-forth buckets. With just a little over three minutes to go in the third quarter, the game was tied. From that point onwards, FIU orchestrates an 11-0 run that lasted for almost three minutes. It let them separate from the Gamecocks and gave them the edge in the end.

6:28 Q4 | HUGE and-1 from Grecia as we are up 11 in the 4th!

JSU 48, FIU 59 pic.twitter.com/xKR8vedt2o

— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) March 11, 2026

A key part of FIU’s game was its ability to force turnovers. They racked up 24 points off of 22 Jax State turnovers. The Panthers also had no trouble attacking the rim, with 42 points in the paint.

With the win, FIU has a day off to rest nd recover. They’ll play the winner of tomorrow’s game between Middle Tennessee and Missouri State on Friday, March 13th, at 9pm. The Panthers swept the Blue Raiders, but were swept by the Bears in the regular season.

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