MIAMI (Jan. 24, 2014) – The FIU women's basketball team (8-10, 2-3 C-USA) will face UAB for only the fifth time in series history on Saturday, Jan. 25. The game is slated to tip off at noon from the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
THE BROADCAST
Saturday's game can be seen on FSN with Ron Thulin (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also follow live stats that are available via the FIU women's basketball schedule page at FIUSports.com.
SERIES HISTORY
FIU and UAB will be meeting for just the fifth time in school history. The Blazers lead the series 3-1. The two teams last battled in 2001, when the Panthers fell on the road, 96-83. FIU's only win in the series came back in 1992, when the teams met at a neutral site and FIU came out on top, 95-74.
SCOUTING FIU
FIU went 0-2 last week with a loss on the road to Tulsa (8-7, 2-2 C-USA) and at home to North Texas (8-10, 2-3 C-USA), leaving the Panthers 8-10 overall and 2-3 in conference play. FIU struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 40.1 percent from the field over the course of the two games, including a 24.4 percentage from three-point range. Senior All-American Jerica Coley continues to be the Panthers' most consistent performer, averaging 29.6 points per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line.
#HolyColey
After yet another 20-plus point performance against North Texas, Coley increased her career points total to 2,665 (23.0 ppg), ranking first all-time at FIU. She is the only player in the school's history to record 2,000-plus points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in a career. For the season, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year averages 29.6 points-per-game and is the only player in the conference with 500-plus points. Coley is also second in the nation in scoring, while holding the top spot in C-USA. In addition, she leads C-USA in minutes played (38.6) and ranks fifth in free throw percentage (.854), sixth in assists (4.2 apg), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.6) and is tied for 11th in blocked shots (1.1 bpg).
SCOUTING UAB
UAB is 11-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play on the season, having dominated Old Dominion last time out, 8-64. The Blazers shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the floor, led by seniors Karisa Chapman and Ashley Grimes. Chapman netted 28 points off of a 50.0 percent field goal percentage (9-of-18) and a 76.9 (10-of-13) free-throw percentage, while Grimes added 21 points off of 40.0 percent field goal percentage (8-of-20) and a 42.9 percentage from long range (3-of-7). Chapman also finished with a game-high 17 rebounds, which led to her fifth consecutive double-double. Grimes dished out a team high six assists for the night. As a team, UAB leads the league in defensive rebounds (28.8) defensive rebounding percentage (.696), while ranking second in C-USA in field goal percentage (.423) and blocked shots (4.8).
THE COACHES
Head Coach Cindy Russo has led her squads to 697 victories over 37 years, making her the ninth-winningest active coach in Division I. For her career, Russo has amassed an overall record of 697-374, and owns a record of 658-352 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.
Randy Norton is in his first season as head coach on the UAB sidelines after spending three seasons at Missouri (2010-2013). Prior to his stint in Columbia, he spent seven years as coach of Illinois State (2003-2010). Norton's teams have made two NCAA Tournament appearances and four WNIT berths, including a trip to two Missouri Valley Tournament Championships, in addition to winning two MVC regular season titles. He holds an overall coaching record of 331-279.
#PantherNation
Fans who 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/
