MIAMI (Feb. 14, 2014) – The FIU women's basketball team (11-12, 5-5 C-USA) return to the hardwood Saturday to take on the Tulane Green Wave (18-6, 9-2 C-USA) in New Orleans, La. The game is slated to tip at 3 p.m. ET from Devlin Fieldhouse.
KEEPING UP WITH THE PANTHERS
Saturday's game can be viewed by clicking HERE. Live stats are also available for all games and can be accessed via the FIU women's basketball schedule page at FIUSports.com. Fans can also follow the action live on Twitter (@FIUWBasketball).
SERIES HISTORY
FIU and Tulane are meeting for just the third time in the series history and first as Conference USA opponents. The series is currently tied, 1-1. The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 25, 2006, at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic where the Green Wave defeated the Panthers, 69-64. FIU won the first meeting back on March 6, 1986, by a score of 64-59.
SCOUTING FIU
FIU will look to end its two-game losing skid on Saturday, which would snap a Tulane three-game winning streak. Senior Jerica Coley continues to pace the FIU offense with an average of 28.9 points-per-game, ranking second in the nation. She is followed by sophomore Taylor Shade with 8.9 points-per-game and junior Tynia McKinzie with 8.1 points-per-game. McKinzie also leads the team in rebounds with 7.1 boards-per-contest. As a team the Panthers are out-rebounding their opponents by a margin of plus-5.2. FIU is 9-6 when out-rebounding the opposition, but 2-5 when it is out-rebounded. When rebounds are tied, the Panthers are 0-1.
#HolyColey
Reigning two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and 2013-14 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, Jerica Coley, has done everything and more this year. She currently ranks second in the nation in scoring, averaging 29.8 points-per-game. The senior sensation has scored in double-figures in all 23 contests this season and in 112-of-121 career games. Coley also has registered 20, 20-plus point outings and 11, 30-plus point performances in 2013-14. For her career she has contributed 77, 20-or-more point games and 29, 30-plus point outings. Coley ranks first on the FIU career charts for scoring average (23.1 ppg) and her career point total of 2,800 also ranks first in program history. This season, the 2012 and 2013 Associated Press All-America selection has been responsible for 42.5 percent of the Panthers' scoring efforts, and for her career, she has scored 36.6 percent of FIU's total points. In addition to scoring the St. Petersburg, Fla., native leads FIU in eight additional statistical categories: field-goal percentage (.422), field goals made (237), free-throw percentage (.843), free-throws made (156), three-point field-goals made (35), assists (4.1 apg), steals (1.6 spg), blocked shots (1.3 bpg) and minutes played (38.9). The senior point guard, who scored a career-high and school-record 47 points versus Wake Forest (12/29/13), has scored 40-or-more points twice this season adding another record-breaking performance a couple weeks later against Tulsa. On Jan. 18, she broke four building records at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa with her 43 points. It was only the eighth time a Panther has scored 40 or more points in a single game. For more information on Coley, please visit HolyColey.com.
SCOUTING TULANE
Tulane currently ranks second in C-USA, boasting a record of 18-6 overall and 9-2 in conference action. The Green Wave is currently on a three-game winning streak, most recently on the road against Florida Atlantic Wednesday, 74-62. Tulane's defense held FAU to a 36.7 field-goal percentage (22-of-60) and a .286 clip from beyond the 3-point line (6-of-21), while connecting on 47.5 percent (28-of-59) of its own shots and 33.0 percent (6-of-18) from three-point land. The Green Wave has four players averaging double-figurs on the season led by junior Danielle Blagg at 12.0 points-per-game. She is followed by fellow juniors Jamie Kaplan who adds 11.6 points and a team-high 6.7 assists per contest, ranking second in the conference. As a team, Tulane ranks second in C-USA in three-point field goal percentage (.332) and assists, averaging 16.5 assists-per-game.
THE COACHES
Head Coach Cindy Russo recently picked up her 700th (2/5/14) career victory at UTSA last week. Over 37 years of coaching, she is the ninth-winningest active coach in Division I. For her career, Russo has amassed an overall record of 700-376, and owns a record of 661-354 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.
The Green Wave is under the direction of veteran head coach Lisa Stockton. In 19 full years at Tulane, the 2007 and 2010 Conference USA Coach of the Year has led her teams to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, four WNIT appearances, five USA Tournament championships and four regular season Conference USA Championships. Her career record 467-226 as a collegiate head coach for a .674 winning percentage and she is 414-199 during her time at Tulane, including a 188-111 mark in conference play.
#PantherNation
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.#####
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, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/
