FIU junior guard Jerica Coley drove the length of the court and threw in a short leaner off the glass over Jamie Printy as time expired to give FIU a 66-65 win over 4-2 Iowa in the first game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. Coley finished with 31 points. Printy's 15 points led Iowa. FIU's Finda Mansare had a game-high eight rebounds.
Though Iowa sits outside the Top 25, the Hawkeyes received votes in the AP poll and are a traditionally strong team from a state where girls/women's basketball has more tradition than men's ball. FIU plays the winner of Friday's late game, No. 12 West Virginia vs. LSU.
