MIAMI (Dec. 13, 2020) – The FIU women's basketball team opens its longest homestand of the season on Monday, as the Panthers welcome Florida Memorial to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on CUSA.tv. 
  
 Click here for full game notes.
  
Series History
The Panthers have dominated the series with the Lions, going a perfect 11-0 against Florida Memorial with all the match-ups coming in the 1980s. FIU and FMU have not played each other on the hardwood since 1987.  
 
Putting In Work Defensively
In the early going of the 2020-21 season, the Panthers have stepped up their game on the defensive end of the court, ranking in the top 80 nationally in blocked shots per game (77th) and turnovers forced per game (39th). FIU paces all of Conference USA, averaging 21.5 forced turnovers per contest while averaging the second-most blocks with 4.0 per game. 
 
Panther Sharpshooters 
Led by Kyla Nelson, FIU's offense has come out of the gates firing on all cylinders from behind the arc. The Panthers lead all of C-USA with nine made threes per game, which is good enough to rank 32nd nationally. 
 
Nelson Finds the Net 
Transfer Kyla Nelson has been a revelation for FIU in the early going, capping her first weekend as an FIU Panther with a career game. The England native hit seven three-pointers on her way to setting a new career-high with 23 points in FIU's victory over Jacksonville. The seven threes in the win over Jacksonville are the most by a Panther in a single game since Alexis Gordon hit nine against Vermont on 12/30/17.
 
Ekpiteta grabbing boards 
Not to be outdone by her fellow transfer, Emerald Ekpiteta is also making her presence know. The grad transfer from Niagara leads all of C-USA, averaging 11.5 rebounds per contest, which ranks 16th nationally. 

Up Next
After hosting Florida Memorial on Monday, the Panthers will welcome Flagler on Wednesday, Dec. 16, to continue their four-game homestand. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. 
   
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUWBB on Facebook and @FIU_WBB on Twitter and @FIUWBB on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.