MIAMI (Dec. 4, 2020) – With the Jesyka Burks-Wiley era for FIU women's basketball officially underway, the Panthers are set to close out the season-opening road swing with a 2 p.m. tipoff at the Jacksonville Dolphins on Saturday. The matinee will be streamed on ESPN+
 
Click here for game notes.
 
Series History
The Panthers and the Dolphins have met nine times on the hardwood, with Jacksonville taking six of the meetings, including five-straight dating back to 2014.

Turnover Delight
Burks-Wiley installed a full-court press defense upon her arrival in Miami and it paid immediate dividends as the Panthers forced North Florida into 25 turnovers on Thursday night. The most forced by a Panthers squad in a game since forcing 26 against Florida A&M on Nov. 23, 2018.  

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.  
 
Both impressed in their FIU debuts with Nelson scorning 13 points, one short of tying a career-high, and Ekpiteta picking up eight points and 13 rebounds to lead all Panther bench players.

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.
  
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.