February 9, 2026

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Lady Techsters Defeat Panthers in Lopsided Game

Ricardo Urrusuno January 24, 2026 4 min read
Lady Techsters Defeat Panthers

Photo by FIU Athletics

MIAMI, FL – For FIU Women’s Basketball, a win today would’ve matched their season-high five-game winning streak set from late November/early December. From the outset of today’s game, though, Louisiana Tech never allowed the Panthers to take the lead.

LA Tech controlled the game with its ability to score buckets in the paint and force FIU into committing costly turnovers. This proved to be too much as the Lady Techsters defeated the Panthers 74-59 in a lopsided game, extending their win streak to six.

LA Tech Dominates Paint Early On

Both teams struggled with turnovers in the first quarter, with the Lady Techsters committing six, and the Panthers having nine. The big difference was that Louisiana Tech capitalized by scoring nine points off of them, while FIU was only able to muster two points.

The Lady Techsters dominated in the paint in the opening quarter with 16 points. Meanwhile, FIU didn’t have much of a chance with four of them.

Adama Badjie-Coly scored consecutive three-pointers to pull the Panthers within seven points after being down in an 11-point hole earlier in the quarter. LA Tech ended the quarter up 19-12.

FIU Conversions Put Them Back in the Game

The Panthers won the 2nd quarter overall. They were down by as many as nine points but were able to pressure Louisiana Tech to commit more turnovers and limit them to just one trip to the free throw line.
Judith Valero scored FIU’s first seven points in the quarter, cutting LA Tech’s lead to just 23-19 at the 7:29 mark.

FIU was able to come up big with several three-pointers, including shots from Parris Atkins and Riley Burd. Their shortest deficit in the quarter was by one point.
The Lady Techsters entered with just a 35-32 lead despite dominating in the paint all game with 32 points and a 50% shooting percentage.

Lady Techsters Take Over for Good

The game’s turning point occurred in the 3rd quarter after Louisiana Tech was up 40-36. The Lady Techsters went on an 8-0 stretch, all points coming off FIU turnovers. At the end of the quarter, they were up by 14 points, 55-41.
FIU committed nine turnovers and nine fouls in the 3rd quarter, proving to be a fatal blow for them.

The Panthers matched up with the Lady Techsters better in the 4th quarter, but the effort was too little, too late. Louisiana Tech kept its double-digit lead all quarter long and had a lead as large as 20.

Struggles All Around

Turnovers were a major factor in FIU’s loss; they committed 28 of them, with numerous of them being traveling violations. Louisiana Tech had 19, but was able to overcome them better.
Another critical factor in the game was the 54 points in the paint for the Lady Techsters. From the start, FIU was not able to properly defend them in the box.
FIU ended the game with 20 fouls. Denika Lightbourne, Parris Atkins, Adama Badjie Coly, and Rhema Collins nearly fouled out, with four apiece.

Atkins scored 14 points but went 4/9 shooting and committed six turnovers. Valero came up with 13 points, going 3/8 with her shots. Lightbourne had 10 points on five rebounds and four assists, but she was responsible for seven FIU turnovers.

Despite the six rebounds and three blocks, Collins was off with just nine points and seven deadly turnovers. Grecia Ferrer Leal went 1/4 shooting and had six turnovers on the score sheet.

The FIU Panthers were the top-scoring team in Conference USA, averaging 75.6 points per game. The LA Tech Lady Techsters were right below them, averaging 75.0 per game. It was an off day for FIU, as they made just 18 shots and shot 41% on the court.
The Panthers were able to grab more defensive boards but struggled on the offensive glass. Louisiana Tech grabbed 18 offensive boards compared to 11 for FIU.
Louisiana Tech doubled FIU’s assists, 22-11, and steals, 12-6. They also came up big with 21 fast-break points.

The Road Ahead

The Panthers will now prepare for a two-game road trip, facing Liberty on January 29 at 7 pm. After that, they will play Delaware on January 31 at 4 pm.
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About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

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