MIAMI (Jan. 3, 2014) – After a second place finish at the 2013 Sun & Fun Classic last weekend, the FIU women's basketball team (5-7) is back in action this weekend, hosting the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
Keeping up with the Panthers
Live stats are available for all games and can be accessed via the FIU women's basketball schedule page at FIUSports.com. A FREE live video stream for all FIU home games is available via PantherVision, by clicking
HERE, and fans can also follow the action live on Twitter (@FIUWBasketball).
Last Time Out
FIU fell to Wake Forest, 86-79, on Sunday, Dec. 29, in the championship game of the Sun & Fun Classic. Two Panthers were named to the all-tournament team, as senior
Jerica Coley and junior
Tynia McKinzie were awarded the honors.
Coley scored a program and building (men's and women's) record 47 points, on a 16-of-29 performance from the floor, while going 13-of-14 from the line. The feat marks only the seventh time in program history a Panther has scored over 40 points in a game and is the second highest points total scored in a game in Conference USA history. The two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and 2013-14 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year extended her streak to 42-straight games scoring in double-figures, dating back to her junior year. It's the 34th time since the 2012-13 season that Coley has scored 20-or-more points, the 16th time she's scored 30-plus and the first time she's netted 40-plus.
McKinzie scored a career-high 16 points in the effort and earned the teams only double-double, finishing with a team-high 10 boards.
Scouting the Sailfish
Under the helm of second year Head Coach Carlos Palacio, Palm Beach Atlantic is 5-10 and has won two of the team's last three games, which stopped a 5-game skid for the Sailfish from Nov. 30-Dec. 8. The squad is 1-5 on the road this season with its only road victory coming against Florida Southern (Dec. 14, 70-53). Leading the way for the Sailfish is Kasie Parker, who is averaging a team-high 19.5 point-per-game and is shooting 46 percent from the floor. Also scoring in double-figures for PBA is Jaz Green , averaging 10.7 points-per-game, while shooting a team-best 46 percent from 3-point range. PBA is being outscored by its opponents 70.6-62.1, while being outshot, .322 to .304. The Sailfish hold a slight edge in steals, 9.5 to 7.8.
Next Up
FIU opens Conference USA action on Wednesday, Jan. 8 as the Panthers host the Rice Owls in the team's first ever C-USA game. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
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/
