MIAMI (Tuesday, December 29, 2017) -- FIU women's basketball begins a five-game swing in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, starting Wednesday, when the Panthers host the two-day FIU Holiday Tournament. Action begins with FIU hosting North Dakota State at noon, with Clemson taking on Central Arkansas at 2 p.m.
 
The Panthers have only faced Clemson in program history, with the Tigers winning the only meeting, a 65-64 result in the NCAA Tournament, played at Clemson, South Carolina, on March 17, 1994. FIU has not played against UCA or NDSU.
 
FIU is 2-8 and has lost its last four contests, including Sunday's 82-52 home loss to USF, relocated to Rick Case Arena in Davie, Florida, due to December graduations on campus. The last time the Panthers competed at the OBCC, FIU took the win, a 77-70 result over Charleston Southern on November 26. Redshirt junior Kiandre'a Pound (Gifford, Florida / Sebastian River HS) has been a consistent force for the Panthers, scoring 10-or-more points in eight-straight games. She is averaging 15.4 points and 8.8 rebounds in her last five games.
 
Wednesday's opponent, North Dakota State, enters play at 5-6. They have lost their last five contests and are 0-4 in road games this season. They are the highest scoring team of the four in this week's action, averaging 70.5 points per contest.
 
Clemson is 9-2 on the season, winners of five in a row. Their win streak started with a one-point win at Nebraska on November 30. Clemson has 30 more blocks than opponents this season.
 
Central Arkansas is 5-4 and are in the midst of a four-game road trip, losing the first two at Texas A&M and South Alabama. The Bears have the largest scoring margin of the teams in town this week, averaging 16.0 more points in games than their opponents.
 
Thursday's matchups will be determined by Wednesday's results. FIU will play in the 2 pm. slot on Thursday against either Clemson or UCA.
 
Live stats for all games for the weekend are available at FIUSports.com.
 
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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