MIAMI (Nov. 29, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team is back on its home floor on Tuesday, Nov. 30, when the Panthers host the Jacksonville Dolphins at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
 
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. For tickets, click here.

The game will be broadcast on CUSA-TV. Live stats for the game can be found here.

MATCHUP PREVIEW
The Panthers are fresh off an undefeated run in the annual Thanksgiving Classic tournament, in which FIU posted a 2-0 record while defeating Chicago State (64-46) and Eastern Michigan (67-60). FIU now owns a 4-2 record this season and is looking to improve its home record to 4-1 with a win against the Dolphins on Tuesday night.

Jacksonville has earned a 2-2 record this year and is currently on a two-game losing streak after dropping contests against Presbyterian (54-62) on Nov. 27 and Florida State (39-64) on Nov. 18. The Dolphins began the year with a victory over Power 5 foe Minnesota (69-66) before defeating Edward Waters (69-64) to follow. Jacksonville owns a 1-1 road in road contests this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Panthers and Dolphins are meeting for the 12th time in program history, with FIU holding a 5-6 record in the all-time series. The Panthers took the last contest over JU by a score of 64-59 on Dec. 5, 2020, with the win marking Jesyka Burks-Wiley's first as head coach of the Blue & Gold.

SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Senior guard Taylor Hawks is leading Jacksonville with 11.5 points per game, while junior guard DeShari Graham ranks second on JU with 10.8 ppg. Junior forward Shynia Jackson and redshirt freshman wing KayKay Hayes have each grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game.

Hayes is making a strong impact on the defensive end with five blocks and nine steals in four contests, while Graham leads JU with 11 steals. Forward Asiah Jones has also logged five blocks.

Guard Jalisa Dunlap garnered ASUN Freshman of the Year honors following the season's opening week after helping JU defeat Big Ten foe Minnesota. Dunlap contributed 13 points on an efficient 5-for-7 shooting from the field including 2-of-4 splashes from beyond the arc. 

As a team, the Dolphins are averaging 57.8 points per game, while allowing 64 from its opponents.

FIU BY THE NUMBERS
The Panthers are shooting .435 percent from the field this year, which ranks third overall in Conference USA. FIU also ranks fourth overall in the league in three-point shooting percentage (.344) and made threes per game (7.17).

Fifth-year transfer Ariel Colon leads FIU in scoring (14.5 ppg) and three-pointers made (13) while shooting an efficient 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Kyla Nelson and Olivia Trice have both been sharpshooters for FIU with 12 and 9 made three-pointers, respectively. Trice leads FIU with a 45 percent clip from beyond the arc while Nelson is shooting 40 percent from deep.

Returning senior Emerald Ekpiteta leads FIU with 6.8 rebounds per game while ranking second on the squad in scoring (10.5 ppg).

Freshman guard Tanajah Hayes paces the Panthers with 15 total assists on the year and is shooting an impressive .543 on field-goal attempts this season. Trice ranks second on FIU with 12 dimes.

Colon, Hayes, and Nelson have all recorded double-digit steals on the year with 13, 12, and 11, respectively.

LAST TIME OUT
FIU exploded for a season-high 11 threes in its win over Eastern Michigan last Saturday (Nov. 27) while shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc.

Nelson led the Panthers with 19 points against the Eagles as the forward hit five treys on seven attempts.

Colon (14) and freshman guard Zaida Gonzalez (12) chipped in with double-digit scoring efforts as well, while Colon led FIU with five rebounds.

Hayes had an effective two-way impact with a team-high four assists and three steals. Trice also logged four assists while knocking down a couple of treys.

The Blue & Gold led for a total of 36 minutes in the contest and were up by as much as 19 points during the game as FIU grabbed its third win of the year at home.

UP NEXT
The Panthers welcome another in-state foe to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center this Saturday, Dec. 4, when FIU hosts UNF. Game time is set for Noon ET at The Bank.

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.