Box Score MIAMI (Nov. 11, 2012) – Junior Jerica Coley came just one block and one rebound shy of a triple-double on Sunday night, as FIU defeated North Florida, 63-44, in the Panthers' 2012-13 season opener at U.S. Century Bank Arena. FIU begins the season at 1-0 (0-0 Sun Belt), while UNF falls to 0-2 (0-0 Atlantic Sun) on the year.

UNF took a five-point lead at the 13:19 mark of the first half, going ahead early at 12-7, before FIU went on a 6-0 run to regain the lead at 13-12. Behind a first-half shooting percentage of 37.9 percent (11-of-29) and a perfect 6-for-6 mark at the free throw line, the Panthers went into the halftime break with a 30-19 advantage.

In the second stanza, FIU allowed just 10 UNF points through the first 15 minutes of play, as the Panthers took their largest lead of the night at 52-29 with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. The Osprey dug into the deficit, but could get no closer than 17, as FIU went on for a 63-44 victory.

Coley led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the floor, including a 3-of-7 outing from the three-point line, and was 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. The 2012 SBC Preseason Player of the Year added team-high totals of nine rebounds, nine blocks, five assists, and four steals, while committing just one turnover in a full 40 minutes of
action. Coley's nine blocks mark a career best for the point guard, as well as an FIU single-game record.

Also scoring in double-figures for the Panthers was junior Marita Davydova, who netted a career-high 14 points. Sophomore Zsofia Labady registered 11 points in the win to round out FIU's double-digit scorers.

The Panthers shot 40.7 percent (22-of-54) for the contest, while the FIU defense held UNF to 30.2 percent shooting (16-of-53). FIU out-rebounded UNF, 44-27, and the
Panthers posted 10 blocks compared to two blocks for the Osprey. Both squads committed 10 turnovers on the night, as FIU registered 15 assists in comparison to eight
helpers for UNF.

FIU returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 14, when the Panthers travel to Ft. Myers, Fla., to take on 2012 NCAA Tournament participant Florida Gulf Coast. Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Alico Arena.

For FIU women's basketball ticket information, call 305-FIUGAME or log onto FIUSports.com. New to the 2012-13 campaign, Panther fans unable to attend home games can tune into PantherVision for a free live video feed of each home contest. For more information, log onto FIUSports.com and access "Live Events" from the "Multimedia" tab.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWBasketball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWBasketball) for all the latest FIU women's basketball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.