MIAMI (March 18, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team is set to take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks to open the 2021 Women's Basketball Invitational this weekend.   
  
The opening game of the tournament for the Panthers is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off on Friday. Action from Frankfort, Kentucky, can be streamed live here.
   
Click here for full game notes.
  
Series History
FIU and Northern Arizona have never met on the hardwood, with the tournament matchup being the first for the Panthers and Lumberjacks.

Panther Sharpshooters 
Led by Kyla Nelson and Alma Danielsson, FIU's offense has been firing on all cylinders from behind the arc this season. The Panthers rank second in all of C-USA with 8.6 made threes per game, which is good enough to rank 23rd nationally.
 
Nelson and Danielsson both rank in the top 10 of C-USA in made threes per game, with Nelson averaging 3.82 (2nd) and Danielsson splashing 2.09 (8th). 
 
It has been a historic year for the Pan­thers from long range, as FIU has made a program-record 215 three-pointers. That total breaks the old record of 196 in the 2007-08 season.
 
Nelson is also set to make history as the senior is tied with Monika Bosilj (08-09) and Mandy Shafer (02-03) for the most made threes in a single season with 65.

Ekpiteta Grabbing Boards 
Emerald Ekpiteta has made her presence known this year since coming to FIU this past offseason. The grad transfer from Niagara ranks fifth in C-USA on the glass, averaging 9.4 rebounds per contest, which ranks 56th nationally.

The Emergence of RFB 
Panther point guard Raquel Ferrer-Bernad is averaging 3.5 assists per contest this year. The JUCO transfer leads all of C-USA in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.45, while she enters the postseason ranked 27th nationally.

Scoring In Bunches
Under first-year head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley, the Panther offense has been resurrected near the top of the C-USA and ranks among the leaders in the entire nation. FIU is averaging 74.3 points per game, which places the Panthers third in C-USA and 38th nationally.

Roary Stays Swiping
The increased pressure on defense this season has led to more steals for the Panthers. FIU currently ranks second in C-USA with 193 total steals.

Burks-Wiley COY
In her first year at the helm for FIU, head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley has already set a standard for years to come with the most wins in a season since the 2013-14 campaign and the most wins ever in C-USA play. That success has led to Burks-Wiley being named the C-USA Coach of the Year, which is the first for FIU overall since 2002. 
 
Burks-Wiley is also making waves nationally, as she is tied for the third-most wins of any first-year head coach in the country.
 
Most Wins By 1st-Year Head Coaches
1. Kyra Elzy, Kentucky - 17
2. Lindy La Rocque, UNLV – 15
T3. Jesyka Burks-Wiley, FIU - 13
T3. Shereka Wright, UT-Arlington - 13
5. Mike Petrino, Montana – 12
 
Thomas' Tear
Since the start of the UTSA weekend series on Feb. 5, Jiselle Thomas has been on fire averaging 20.9 points per game over that span. During that time, the next closest Panther is Fujika Nimmo with 13.9.
 
Thomas All-Conference
Thanks in large part to her scoring streak, Jiselle Thomas was named to the All-Conference USA Team.
 
The Norwalk, Ohio native leads the Panthers in scoring with 16.9 points per contest, which ranks seventh-best in C-USA. Thomas also ranks third in the conference for made field goals (160) and fifth in the league for field goal at­tempts (346), sixth in shooting percent­age (46.2%) and fourth in total points (423).
  
Good Vibes in the 305
It has been a year to remember for the FIU Panthers:
 
• Most wins since 2013-14.
• Most C-USA wins ever.
• Highest C-USA tournament seed ever.
• First winning season since 2012-13.
• First C-USA tourney appearance since 2016.
 
Thomas Scores 34
Jiselle Thomas exploded for 34 points in FIU's opening round victory over Southern Miss in the Conference USA Tournament.

The 34 points were the most scored by a Panther overall since 2017. It was also the 10th-most points scored by a player in the history of the C-USA Tournament. Among players in conference tournaments this season, the 34 points for Thomas ranked as the fifth-most for championship week this year.
 
Postseason Panthers
The 2021 WBI will mark FIU's first postseason appearance since the 2013 WNIT. The Panthers fell to the Florida Gators in the first round of that tournament by a score of 75-68. FIU's last postseason win came in 2012 WNIT, with the Panthers topping Stetson 75-47.
 
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.