MIAMI, Fla. — The Chicago State women's basketball (1-5) fell 64-46, to Florida International University Friday afternoon in the opening game of the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament.
Freshman phenom Aaliyah Collins, who was named WAC Freshman of the Week last week, poured in 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and seven steals in the loss. Collins currently leads the WAC and ranks eighth in NCAA Division I in steals.
Quentarra Mitchell also scored in double figures, with 10, and Kyjai Miles grabbed nine rebounds to go with four points. The Cougars forced 15 steals in the loss.
The Cougars trailed by 16 points at halftime but pulled to within five at the six-minute mark of the fourth. However, FIU closed strong for the win.
In the first quarter, the Panthers came out firing, scoring 19 points to the Cougars' seven, all of which were scored by Collins.
To start the second quarter, Collins continued her hot streak and opened up the scoring for the Cougars with a beautiful drive and finish, which then the Panthers answered back with a hot-shooting scoring garage.
But Cougars came right back down and with a midrange jumper by Mitchell, which was once again answered back by the Panthers with a layup by Zaida Gonzalez.
Ultimately, the Panthers finished with a 11-6 run to end quarter two, with Christina Britter, Taylor Norris, and Collins all scoring. The Panthers led, 33-17, at halftime.
In the third quarter the Cougars came out with force, outscoring FIU, 21-12 and finishing on a 14-0 run with buckets from Collins, Allysah Boothe and Miles leading the charge.
Entering the fourth, this left the Panthers with just a seven-point lead, 45-38, after once leading by nearly 20 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars ultimately could not power through, in spite of the fierce defensive charge led by Collins, as Panthers cruised to a win behind a 15-8 run in the fourth.. Mitchell and Collins were the only Cougars to score in the final frame.
The Cougars face University of Delaware tomorrow at 11 a.m. to close the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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