MIAMI (March 9, 2021) – The FIU women's basketball team is set to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to open the 2021 Conference USA Championships.  
  
The opening game of the tournament for the Panthers is slated for a Noon ET tip-off and can be streamed on ESPN+.
   
Click here for full game notes.
  
Series History
FIU and Southern Miss have met 13 times on the hardwood. Since FIU joined the C-USA in 2013-14, USM holds a 6-2 record over the Panthers. The teams split a weekend series back in mid-February.

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 8.7 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 3.00 (2nd) and Danielsson splashing 2.09 (8th). Nelson has made 63 treys which is just three shy of breaking the FIU record for a single season.

Ekpiteta Grabbing Boards 
Emerald Ekpiteta has made her presence known in 2020-21 since coming to FIU this past offseason. The grad transfer from Niagara ranks fourth 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 3.8 assists per contest this year. The JUCO transfer leads all of C-USA in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.47, while she enters this Championship Week ranked 30th 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 74.5 points per game, which places the Panthers third in C-USA and 41st 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 190 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 owns the fifth most-wins of any first-year coach in the country.
 
Most Wins By 1st-Year Head Coaches
1. Kyra Elzy, Kentucky - 17
2. Lindy La Rocque, UNLV - 15
3. Shereka Wright, UT-Arlington - 13
t4. Jesyka Burks-Wiley, FIU - 12
t4. Mike Petrino, Montana – 12
 
Thomas' Tear
Since the start of the UTSA weekend series, Jiselle Thomas has been on fire averaging 21.3 points per game in the span. During that time, the next closest Panther is Fujika Nimmo with 13.7.
 
Thomas All-Conference
Thanks in large part to her scoring streak, Jiselle Thomas was named to the C-USA All-Conference team.
 
The Norwalk, Ohio native leads the Panthers in scoring with 16.7 points per contest, which ranks seventh-best in C-USA. Thomas also ranks third in the conference for made field goals (148) and fourth in the league for field goal attempts (319), shooting percentage (46.4%) and total points (385).
 
More Stats
FIU has been transformed in just one year under Burks-Wiley, with the Panthers ranking in the top half of the league in most statistical categories. The Blue & Gold ranks first in the conference and 19th nationally for three-pointers made, while the 199 treys this season broke FIU's single-season mark. Additionally, the Panthers rank second in the league for assists, rebounds and steals.
 
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.
 
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.