MIAMI (Nov. 8, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team is set to tip off its 2021-22 season at home on Tuesday, Nov. 9, when the Panthers welcome George Mason for a showdown at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

Game time against the Patriots is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. For tickets, click here.

The contest will be streamed on CUSA-TV. Live stats can be found here.

ALL-TIME SERIES
FIU and GMU have met twice in their history, with both contests taking place in the 305. The Panthers and Patriots split the two meetings, with FIU taking the first game by a score of 73-59 during the 2006 season, and GMU countering with a 67-51 win in 2016.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
GMU will be led offensively by guard Marika Korpinen, who paced the Patriots in scoring last season with 9.3 points-per-game while recording 26 double-digit performances.

Senior transfer Amaya Scott is expected to contribute immediately for George Mason at the forward position after a successful three seasons at Bethune-Cookman, where Scott was Preseason Player of the Year in 2020-21.

The Patriots are under the guidance of first-year head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis, a four-time MEAC Coach of the Year who led Bethune-Cookman to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019.

LOOKING BACK 
FIU is coming off a successful first season under reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year Jesyka Burks-Wiley. The Panthers' leader earned the second-most wins (15) nationally among first-year head coaches in 2020-21, while FIU enjoyed two postseason victories in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).

BLUE & GOLD ROSTER
Coach Burks-Wiley and her staff added a total of eight Panther newcomers to the squad, including six transfers and two true freshmen. Among the additions are dynamic fifth-year forward Ariel Colon from Elon and talented junior guard Grace Hunter from South Plains College.

FIU's roster will benefit from the experience of five returning letter winners, including senior Kyla Nelson, the reigning C-USA leader in 3-pointers made (74), and Emerald Ekpiteta, who finished last year with the fourth-most rebounds in the league while pacing FIU in double-doubles (9).

UP NEXT
The Panthers are back at home this Friday, Nov. 12, when FIU hosts Florida Memorial for a late afternoon matchup. Tip off against the Lions is set for 4:30 p.m. ET at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

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.