MIAMI (Nov. 12, 2015) – The FIU women's basketball team will tip off the 2015-16 campaign, hosting the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers on Friday, Nov. 13. Game time is set for 5 p.m. ET from Lime Court at FIU Arena.
 
A new era of women's basketball begins Friday under first-year Head Coach Marlin Chinn.
 
"We're super excited that our season is right upon us," Chinn said during FIU media day. "We get started very soon and the ladies are working really, really hard. It's been a long road, actually from when I first got here. The ladies have been working really hard during the summer, trying to learn a new system and a different style of play. And we're expecting some really, really good things."
 
The Panthers return eight letterwinners from a year ago, including seniors Taylor Shade and Destini Feagan. Shade averaged 11.6 points-per-game on 35.9 percent (108-of-301) shooting from the floor and 34.2 percent (38-of-111) from 3-point range. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native was also the team leader in assists (74) and steals (23) last season. Feagan averaged 7.0 points-per-game on 31.3 percent (72-of-230) from the floor and 30.9 percent (30-of-97) from beyond the arc.
 
Friday will mark the 16^th meeting all-time between FIU and FAMU with the Panthers holding an 11-4 edge in the series history. FIU has won seven straight versus the Rattlers, including a 70-69 win in Tallahassee on Jan. 2, 2013.
 
Fans can following the action via a free preview of PantherVision by clicking here.
 
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Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWBB) 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. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
 About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that 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 contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.