MIAMI (Nov. 20, 2013) - The FIU women's basketball team (0-3) ends its Boston road trip tomorrow, tipping off against the Boston College Eagles at 7 p.m. from the Conte Forum.
Last Time Out
The Panthers fell to the Harvard Crimson (3-1), 64-52, Tuesday night from the Lavietes Pavilion. Senior
Jerica Coley drained 24 points on 9-of-27 shooting, while going 2-of-8 from 3-point range and hitting 80 percent from the line. The two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and 2013-14 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year extended her streak to 33-straight games scoring in double figures, dating back to her junior year. It's the 25th time since the 2012-13 season that Coley has scored 20-or-more points. Freshman
Janka Hegedus tallied nine points, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor and hitting both attempts from beyond the arc. The two 3-pointers were the first and second of the Hungary native's collegiate career. Redshirt freshman
Brianna Wright and junior
Tynia McKinzie each scored six points apiece.
The Panthers held an 11-point lead at half, as FIU held the Crimson to its lowest single-half points total of the season, 32-23. Harvard went on 13-6 and 14-6 runs in the second to win, 64-52. FIU finished the night shooting 79 percent from the line, converting on 11-of-14 attempts and beat the Crimson 20-15 on the boards. Harvard held a slight edge in rebounds, 41-38, and the two teams were knotted with six steals apiece. FIU's defense was able to keep Harvard in check, limiting the Crimson to its lowest points total of the season and well under its 79.5 points per game average.
Scouting the Eagles
Boston College is 1-2, most recently losing in overtime, 70-69, to BYU. Through three games, Harvard hasn't been held under 69 points, averaging 73.3 points-per-game, while holding opponents to a close 72.0 points-per-game. Shayra Brown, Kristen Doherty and Nicole Boudreau lead the Eagles offense. Brown is averaging 15.0 points-per-game, going 5-of-10 from the floor, with Dohery (13.7) and Boudreau (13.3) second and third. In total, five on the Eagles are averaging double-digit points-per-game. The team is going 77 percent from the line, while tallying 37 boards-per-game, 12 less than its opponents.
Next Up
The Panthers return home for the Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 29-Dec. 1), where the team will face Valparaiso in the team's first game of the classic. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena on Nov. 29.
Head Coach
Cindy Russo has led her squads to 689 victories over 37 years, making her the ninth-winningest active coach in Division I. For her career, Russo has amassed an overall record of 689-365, and owns a record of 649-343 in 35 seasons at FIU. Her 34 full seasons at FIU are the fifth-most across all NCAA institutions, regardless of division, for number of seasons spent with one program.
#HolyColey up for the Senior Class Award
Coley has been recognized as one of 60 men's and women's basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court for the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
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). The official hashtag of the 2013-14 FIU athletic season is PantherNation.
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. 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 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s 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. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
