MIAMI (Dec. 2, 2020) – The Jesyka Burks-Wiley era of FIU women's basketball opens Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida, against the North Florida Osprey. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and can be streamed on ESPN+. 
 
Click here for game notes.
 
Series History
The Panthers and the Ospreys have met four times since 2006, with each team winning two match-ups. North Florida has won the two most recent meetings in 2018 & 2019.
 
New Year, New Players
When Burks-Wiley and her staff arrived on campus in the summer, the first thing they did was turn the roster over, bringing in five newcomers, including two grad transfers and a pair of JUCO players. 
 
Putting the I in FIU
FIU's 2020-21 roster will feature six European-born players, the most by any Panther roster since the 2013-14 season. 
 
The English Connection
The transfer duo of Kyla Nelson and Emerald Ekpiteta brings a wealth of experience to Miami, with Nelson playing in 64 games over three seasons at Pittsburgh and Ekpiteta playing in 85 games over three seasons at Niagara.  
 
On the Road to Open
With the originally scheduled season opener against Stetson postponed due to Covid-19 issues within the Hatter program, FIU will open the season with two games away from Miami for the first time since 2010, when the Panthers traveled to Waco, Texas to play in the World Vision Invitational hosted by Baylor.
 
Open Late
Thursday's season opener at North Florida will be the first time that the Panthers have opened a season in December since the 1993-94 season. FIU posted a 25-4 record in '93- '94 along the way to an NCAA Tournament berth.
 
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.