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Frankfort, KY - Emerald Ekpiteta hit a pair of free throws to give FIU a 59-58 win over Manhattan in the Consolation Championship of the 2021 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).
Despite the defeat, the Jaspers earned their first postseason victory in nine years while posting an impressive 11-9 record in a season that will be remembered more for how the student-athletes persevered in the backdrop of a worldwide pandemic.
Senior
Courtney Warley (West Chester, PA / Bishop Shanahan) was again terrific in posting her eighth double-double of the year and 22nd of her career with 11 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, while adding three blocks.
Junior
Dee Dee Davis (Bronx, NY / Truman) hit for a career-high 21 points, while sophomore
Jenna Jordan (Valley Cottage, NY / St. Francis Brooklyn) notched season-highs with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Graduate student
Gabby Cajou (Stony Point, NY / North Rockland) matched Jordan with 10 points as the Green & White had four double-digit scorers for the third time this season.
Manhattan led by nine points twice in the second half, but was unable to hold off a Golden Panther outfit that drained nine three pointers while shooting 92.3 percent (12-of-13) from the line.
Notes
* The Jaspers are now 5-4, all-time, in three trips to the WBI (2011, 2012).
* With her big game, Warley has now registered double-figures on the glass 44 times and in scoring on 43 occasions.
* By virtue of her three blocks, she moves past
Eve Walters into fourth place in program history with 133 blocks.
* She also moved into fourth place on Friday in career rebounding and now has 890 to go along with 960 points.
* Over the three-day event, she averaged 15.3 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 2.0 bpg and 2.0 apg while shooting 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the floor and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the line.
* Davis registered double-figures in scoring 17 times this year, while pacing the squad for the ninth time in 20 games.
* The junior guard scored the first seven Jasper points of the game and nine in the first quarter as the Green & White led 19-12 after one period.
* Manhattan's lead grew to a game-high 11 at 26-15 thanks to a 13-3 run that bridged the end of the first and the beginning of the second quarters.
* After halftime, FIU trimmed the deficit to two just over three minutes into the third only to see the Jaspers respond with seven-straight points in opening up a 46-37 lead at the 1:19 mark of the third.
* The Golden Panthers responded with five-straight to end the third, as Manhattan pushed its lead back out to nine at 51-42 with 4:52 to play thanks to a three-point play from Warley and a layup form Jordan.
* Jordan would spark a 6-1 run with a second-chance layup as the Jaspers led 58-54 with 21.7 seconds to play.
* She earned her fourth career double-double, and has now recorded double-digits in scoring on nine occasions and on the glass four times.
* Manhattan posted two double-doubles in the same game for the second time this year, and fueled by Warley and Jordan registered a dominating 32-16 advantage in the paint.
* Cajou's two assists give her 355 for her career, while moving her past former teammate Amani Tatum into seventh place in the all-time Jasper annals.
* She also was 4-for-7 from the floor in registering double-figures in scoring for the third time this year.
* The Green & White outscored FIU in points off turnovers (17-10), second-chance opportunities (16-14), on fast breaks (10-2) and from the bench (10-0), while forcing at least 20 turnovers (21) for the fifth time this year.
* Kyla Nelson scored 21 points with 11 rebounds to pace the Golden Panthers.
