FIU Edges Women's Hoops 58-57

MIAMI – A long three-pointer at the buzzer went just off the mark as the UMass women's basketball team fell 58-57 to Florida International on Tuesday afternoon in the opening game of the FIU Christmas Classic. The game featured eight lead changes and a pair of ties before the Panthers were able to rally late in the fourth to earn the win.

The Minutewomen will take on Drexel on Wednesday (Noon) at FIU Arena prior to the Panthers facing George Mason.

UMass (6-7) was led by 18 points from Hailey Leidel along with a 10 point, 16 rebound effort from Maggie Mulligan who posted her ninth double double of the season. Alyx Stiff added 11 points off the bench.

FIU (2-8) was led by 17 points from Alexis Gordon and 15 points from Janka Hegedus who also had 11 rebounds. Kristian Hudson added 11 points and seven assists in the win.

The Panthers held a 45-to-38 advantage on the glass including an 18-to-10 edge on the offensive boards which led to 16 second chance points for FIU.

After trailing by as many as eight at the start of the second quarter, UMass closed the stanza on a 14-to-3 run taking a 27-24 lead into intermission. Leidel sparked a run of 10 straight points for the Minutewomen with a pair of three pointers with her second trey giving UMass its first lead of the game, 23-21, with 3:27 to go.

FIU briefly retook the lead, but UMass held the Panthers scoreless in the final two minutes while receiving buckets from Stiff and Jessica George to put the Minutewomen up three at the break.

The third quarter saw a quick pair of baskets for UMass to extend its lead to seven, 31-24, but the Panthers were able to use a 9-to-4 run to pull back within one at the 3:44 mark. A Fields three-point play gave the Panthers back the lead with 2:08 to go.

A pair of jumpers from Ryan Holder and Mulligan in the final 1:44 gave the Minutewomen a 44-41 lead going into the fourth.

A quick offensive burst to start the fourth quarter by George extended the UMass lead to 51-46 where the sophomore scored six of her eight points for the game. Over the final 5:32, however, the Minutewomen struggled from the floor hitting just three field goals as FIU used a 12-to-6 run down the stretch to take the lead.

The Panthers took a 54-53 lead with 3:29 on a Gordon jumper, but the Minutewomen responded with a lay-up from Mulligan and a jumper from Leidel to go back up by three.

Back-to-back baskets by Hegedus gave the Panthers the eighth lead change of the game putting FIU up 58-57. After a UMass timeout on the ensuing possession with 23 seconds remaining, the Minutewomen were unable to convert and had to foul four straight times to force the bonus situation.

FIU missed both bonus free throws with eight seconds to go with UMass able to gather the defensive rebound. A three-pointer from the right wing, however, went just long as the Panthers were able to hold on for the win.

For complete coverage of the UMass women's basketball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassWBB and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Hailey Leidel

Alyx Stiff

Maggie Mulligan

Jessica George

Players Mentioned

Jessica George

Ryan Holder

Hailey Leidel

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Players Mentioned

Jessica George

Ryan Holder

Hailey Leidel

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics