MIAMI (Dec. 3, 2021) – FIU women's hoops returns to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center (OBCC) on Saturday, Dec. 4, when the Panthers battle against in-state foe North Florida.
 
Tipoff against the Ospreys is scheduled for Noon 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 sport a 4-3 record this season and are looking to grab their fourth win of the year at the OBCC. FIU fell in a close contest on Tuesday, Nov. 30, against the Jacksonville Dolphins at home. The Blue & Gold sank 14 threes on its home floor last week during the annual FIU Thanksgiving Classic tournament while grabbing wins against Chicago State (64-46) and Eastern Michigan (67-60).
 
UNF owns a 5-3 record and is undefeated against non-Power 5 opponents this season. The Ospreys dropped their most recent contest against Auburn (65-72) on Nov. 30, after losing to Clemson (72-84) on Nov. 24 and Florida State (50-78) to start the season (Nov. 9). UNF defeated Conference USA foe FAU (85-79) in overtime on Nov. 21.

The Panthers and Ospreys split their last two meetings in Miami, with FIU winning by a score of 63-44 at the OBCC back on Nov. 11, 2012, and UNF taking the most recent game (64-49) on Nov. 11, 2019.

SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
The Ospreys are led offensively by fifth-year guard Rhetta Moore (18.8 ppg) and reigning ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Jazz Bond (18.6 ppg). Moore and Bond are shooting .590 and .528 percent from the field this year, respectively, while leading the Ospreys in field-goal attempts.  

Bond, a fifth-year forward, finished last season ranked 13th in the NCAA in blocks per game while leading UNF in scoring. This fall Bond is leading UNF in rebounds per game (8.6) and total blocks (16). Moore leads UNF with 18 steals, while sophomore guard Ally Knights leads the Ospreys with six assists per game this season.

As a team, the Ospreys are averaging 82.4 points per game while shooting .482 percent from the field and .354 from beyond the arc.

FIU BY THE NUMBERS
The Panthers have made 45 three-point attempts this season which ranks fourth overall among all 14 C-USA teams. The Panthers also rank top-five in the league with 6.43 treys per contest and a .310 shooting percentage from deep.

Fifth-year transfer Ariel Colon leads FIU in scoring (13.4 ppg) and three-pointers made (14) while shooting an efficient .449 percent from the field and .368 percent from beyond the arc. Colon ranks sixth in C-USA in field-goal percentage and 3-pointers made.

FIU has three players in Colon, Trice (.375) and Nelson (.351) that are shooting 35 percent-or-better from deep while having attempted at least 20 treys.

Kyla Nelson and Olivia Trice have both been sharpshooters for FIU with 13 and 9 made three-pointers, respectively.

Returning senior Emerald Ekpiteta leads FIU with 7.3 rebounds per game, while Colon ranks second with 4.7.

Graduate students Nelson and Ekpiteta rank second and third on FIU in scoring with 9.7 ppg and 9.6 ppg, respectively.

Freshman guard Tanajah Hayes is having a nice two-way impact for FIU this season as the Panther leads the squad with 16 total assists and 15 steals while shooting an impressive .512 on field-goal attempts.

Trice ranks second on FIU with 12 dimes, while Colon ranks second with 13 steals.

Four Panthers have recorded double-digit steals on the year, including Hayes, Colon, Nelson (11), and Ekpiteta (10).

Sophomore Maria Torres leads FIU with 1.1 blocks per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT 
Ekpiteta surpassed the 900 career-points mark against Jacksonville on Nov. 30, as the Panther logged four in the contest and now stands at 901 for her collegiate run.

Ekpiteta also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, while Nelson led FIU in scoring with seven points to go along with six boards.

Colon shot 60 percent from the field while knocking down one of two attempts from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT
FIU will have 10 days to prepare before traveling to Daytona Beach to battle Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

The Panthers will be back at the OBCC on Dec. 20-21 for a two-game homestand during the annual FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown.

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.