MIAMI (December 15, 2016) -- Following the exam break and winter graduation ceremonies on campus, the FIU women's basketball program resumes its five-game home stand with the highest-ranked opponent on the schedule Friday, a 7 p.m. tip against No. 13/14 Miami (Florida) scheduled from Lime Court at FIU Arena.
 
FIU stands at 1-6, with a home loss to Jacksonville the latest on the docket this season. The Panthers lead Conference USA in three-point shooting percentage, at .388 for the season, and are second in the league with a .733 free-throw shooting mark. Rebounding and minimizing turnovers are the focus of the squad as it seeks its second win of the campaign.
 
Freshman Alexis Gordon (Palm Bay, Florida / Covenant Christian HS) leads FIU in scoring, recording 12 points per game. She leads C-USA by nailing 3.1 three-point field goals per game and sits second in the league with a .449 three-point percentage. She is also fourth in the league in minutes played (35.4), second on the team to sophomore point guard Kristian Hudson (Birmingham, Alabama), who is third in C-USA with an average of an even 36 minutes played per game. Hudson's 10.1 points per game are second on the team through the first seven games.
 
The Hurricanes have won eight games in a row after falling in the season opener to No. 19 Kentucky by 16 points. This is UM's first non-conference, in-state road game since 2009, and the first time playing at FIU since 2008. The Hurricanes have five players averaging in double figures, led by Jessica Thomas' 13.2 per game. She also leads the squad with 4.3 assists per game, 32 made free throws and 31.7 minutes player per contest. The Hurricanes are outscoring teams by an average of 17 points per game and are shooting more than 60 percentage points better (.445 to .382) than opponents this season.
 
The Hurricanes lead the all-time series 34-22, with the Hurricanes winning 83-55 the last time the teams met in Coral Gables last December 22. FIU has beaten Miami 11 times in 20 games on its home court. The series has gone into overtime only once, a double-overtime thriller in Miami, in which FIU won 83-81 in 1984.
 
Following Friday night's contest, FIU returns to competition to continue the home stand next Wednesday, taking on Texas Southern at noon.
 
For women's basketball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.
 
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).
 
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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 FIU Arena and at the FIU Football 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 Florida's 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/.