MIAMI (Nov. 15, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team travels for its first road contest of the season on Monday, Nov. 15,  when the Panthers face off against Kennesaw State.
 
Tip off against the Owls is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Live stats for the game can be found here.

MATCHUP PREVIEW
FIU is aiming to build on its thrilling 72-69 victory over Florida Memorial last Friday, Nov. 12, at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. The Panthers enter the contest against the Owls holding a 1-1 record on the young season with each of FIU's first two games decided by three points or less.

Kennesaw State also owns a 1-1 record on the year, after dominating Thomas University (100-31) at home in the Owls' home opener, before falling to No. 17 Georgia Tech by a score of 45-72 on the road. 

ALL-TIME SERIES
FIU and Kennesaw State are meeting for the first time ever in program history. The Owls are an NCAA Division I member of the ASUN Conference, with KSU's campus located just northwest of Atlanta, Georgia.
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
KSU is led by Alexis Poole on the offensive end, who leads the Owls in scoring (13.5) and rebounding (8.5) this season. Poole is sixth among all ASUN players in rebounding ratio.

Senior point guard Amani Johnson reached 1,000 career points in KSU's last contest against Georgia Tech. Johnson is the also KSU's career assists record holder since the Owls became a Division I member.
 
FIU BY THE NUMBERS
Fifth-year transfer Ariel Colon leads FIU in scoring (20.5 ppg) while shooting a scorching 41 percent from beyond the arc. Returning senior Emerald Ekpiteta ranks second in scoring (16.0 ppg) while leading the squad in rebounding, with 10 combined in FIU's first two contests.

Freshman guard Zaida Gonzalez leads the Panthers in field goal percentage (.571) while averaging seven points per game. Fellow freshman guard Tanajah Hayes paces the Panthers with four assists per game while grabbing eight rebounds thus far.

LAST TIME OUT
Colon continued her hot start to the 2021-22 season with a team-high 22 points in FIU's contest against Florida Memorial last Friday. Colon shot an efficient 9 for 16 from the field, including 40 percent from long-range.
 
Ekpiteta added 17 points for the Panthers to go along with a game-high eight rebounds, while Gonzalez scored in double digits (11) on 50 percent shooting from the field.
 
The highlight of the contest came from Ekpiteta, who scored a big bucket on a driving layup and was fouled for the and-one opportunity. Ekpiteta converted at the free-throw line to put FIU up by a score of 70-69 with 20 seconds to play, before Gonzalez sealed the victory with two clutch free throws on the Panthers' final possession.

UP NEXT
FIU will travel to battle Georgia Southern in the second contest of a two-game road trip on Wednesday, Nov. 17. Game time is slated for 3 p.m. ET against the Eagles at Hanner Fieldhouse.

TICKETS
For tickets to all upcoming women's basketball home games, click here.

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.