MIAMI (Dec. 19, 2020) – To close out the longest homestand of the season, the FIU women's basketball team will host in-state foe FGCU for a two-game set beginning on Sunday, Dec. 20. 
 
The series-opener will tipoff at Noon on Sunday, followed by a Noon start time on Monday as well. Both games can be streamed on CUSA.tv.
   
Click here for full game notes.
   
Series History
The Panthers are 0-11 all-time against FGCU, with six of those games coming at home.
 
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 16th nationally in turnovers forced per game at 22.75. FIU paces all of Conference USA in forced turnovers and turnover margin (5.0)

Panther Sharpshooters 
Led by Kyla Nelson and Alma Danielsson, FIU's offense has come out of the gates firing on all cylinders from behind the arc. The Panthers rank second in all of C-USA with 10 made threes per game, which is good enough to rank 16th nationally. 
 
Ekpiteta Grabbing Boards 
Emerald Ekpiteta is also making her presence known. The grad transfer from Niagara ranks third in C-USA on the glass, averaging 10.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks 31st nationally. 
 
In FIU's blowout win over Florida Memorial, Ekpiteta pulled down 13 rebounds and 10 points for the first FIU double-double of the year.
 
Like I'm Jordan, '96, '97
FIU's 96 points against Florida Memorial and 97 versus Flagler marked the first time the Panthers have scored 90-plus in back-to-back games since the 1997-98 season.
 
Starting Fast 
The Panthers improved to 3-1 with blowout victories over Florida Memorial and Flagler for the program's best four-game start since the 2006-2007 season. 
 
The Emergence of RFB 
Panther point guard Raquel Ferrer-Bernad is averaging six assists per contest after stellar games against Florida Memorial and Flagler. The two-game performance has catapulted the Spaniard in the assist per game rankings, landing her at 14th nationally. 
 
Up Next
Following the break for the holidays, FIU will head up the Eastern Seaboard to open C-USA play at Old Dominion on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.   
   
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.