Fourth Quarter Surge Sends Women’s Basketball Past FIU, 72-57

Sunday, December 29

Miami, Fla.

2:00 PM

Brown University

6-6

Florida International

3-8

BROWN

FIU

Fourth Quarter Surge Sends Women’s Basketball Past FIU, 72-57

12/29/2019 4:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MIAMI, Fla. – Senior guard Justine Gaziano scored a game-high 26 points – including 17 points in the fourth quarter – and junior guard McKenna Dale posted her first collegiate double-double behind 17 points and 12 rebounds as Brown University women's basketball surged past Florida International University, 72-57, on Sunday afternoon at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

The Bears (6-6) earned their third straight win, using a 24-5 run in the fourth quarter to upend the host Panthers (3-8) as the visitors turned a 48-44 deficit into a 68-53 advantage in the final frame.

"I'm really proud of the girls – this is three wins in a row," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We're making steps forward every day on defense. Today, we kept the game close with our defense and then were able to have a nice fourth quarter surge behind everyone – but Justine especially – and pull away at the perfect time."

Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) scored her 26 points on 9-of-13 field goals, 3-of-5 triples, and 5-of-5 free throws, while chipping in three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. She netted 17 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-7 field goals, 2-of-3 treys, and 3-of-3 free throws. In the final frame, she converted a trio of 3-point plays alongside her pair of 3-pointers.

Gaziano posted her fourth 20-point game of the year and 34^th such game of her career. She now has 171 career made 3-pointers moving into fourth place in program history and passing Colleen Kelly '06 (170 career 3-pointers).

Dale (Storrs, Conn.) notched her first collegiate double-double on her 17 points and 12 rebounds, making 6-of-14 field goals and 3-of-9 treys. She scored in double figures for the fifth time this year and in her third straight game.

Sophomore guard Maddie Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) netted 11 points – her fourth game in double figures this year. She made three 3-pointers in the game, including a shot from beyond half court to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter.

Sophomore forward Ashley Ducharme (Milton, Mass.) approached a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. She made 2-of-5 3-pointers – her first collegiate treys.

Senior center Haley Green (Salem, Va.) added five points and three assists, freshman guard Sydney Rosant (Foster City, Ga.) tacked on three points, four rebounds, and two assists, and junior guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) contributed two points, four rebounds, and three assists.

"This was a good win, especially coming on the road after the holidays," Behn said. "We had kids flying cross country, just getting back, and then getting on a plane again. I'm proud of their resilience."

The Bears hit a season-high 12 3-pointers in the game, converting 34.3 percent of their shots from downtown. In the fourth quarter, Brown shot 11-of-18 from the field (61.1 percent), 3-of-8 from distance (37.5 percent), and 4-of-5 (80.0 percent) from the free throw line.

The Bears took control of the game in the fourth quarter, outscoring the hosts 29-14, including a 24-5 run. After the Panthers went up 48-44 with 8:57 left, the Bears used a 16-2 burst to pull ahead 60-50 with 4:04 to go. Trailing 50-48, Brown scored 12 straight points behind a trio of old-fashioned 3-point plays from Gaziano and a 3-point basket from Rosant to pull ahead 60-50 with 4:04 left.

A pair of 3-pointers from Gaziano and a basket from Mullin extended the margin to 68-53 with 2:09 remaining, capping the 24-5 run. Green and Leonidas each made baskets inside of the final 1:10 to seal the win.

The Bears opened the game with an 8-4 edge at the 4:35 mark of the first quarter as Ducharme and Dale each hit 3-points and Dale added a layup. FIU closed the stanza on an 8-0 run taking a 12-8 lead at the end of one.

Baskets from Ducharme and Dale tied the score at 12-12 early in the second quarter. After the Panthers moved ahead 15-12, Gaziano scored seven straight points – including a 3-pointer and pair of layups – to give Brown a 19-15 lead with 3:59 left in the half. Dale knocked down two 3-pointers inside of the final two minutes to keep the Bears up 25-24 at the break.

The two teams played within an eight-point window in the first half as neither side held an advantage larger than four points. The two sides combined for five 3-pointers in the final 2:26 of the half. At halftime the two teams stood tied in rebounds (23-23) and 3-pointers made (5-5).

After Ducharme opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, Mullin knocked down a pair of triples to push Brown ahead 37-34 with 2:20 left in the frame. With FIU leading 43-40, Mullin then beat the buzzer from beyond half court to send the game to the fourth quarter tied at 43-43.

For FIU, Chelsea Guimaraes posted a double-double behind 16 points and 11 rebounds, Diene Diane netted 14 points, and Fujika Nimmo tallied 11 points.

Next, Brown plays at the University of South Florida tomorrow – Monday, Dec. 30 – at 5:30 p.m.

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.