MIAMI, Fla. – The FIU women's basketball season is underway for the start of the
2022-2023 season. This will be the third season under Head Coach Jesyka Burks- Wiley as they kick off the season at home in Miami hosting North Carolina Central University at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 9 vs. North Carolina Central University
The program has taken major strides with Burks-Wiley at the helm. The Panthers advanced to the second round of the C-USA tournament last season after defeating FAU in the opening round. FIU finished the 2021-2022 season with a 15-16 overall record and a 6-12 record in Conference USA action. In her first year as head coach in 2020-2021, Coach Burks guided FIU to their first winning season in 8 years.
There will be a lot of action at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center to start off the season as eight out of the first nine non-conference games will take place at home.
Sophomore point guard Tanajah Hayes headlines FIU's
returning players. She was third on the team in scoring last season averaging 9.4 points per game and led the Panthers in assists with 3.7 per game. That assists mark was good enough for eighth best in the entire conference. Hayes was also successful on the defensive end racking up 67 steals on the season. She averaged 2.26 steals per game which was good for second best in C-USA.
Another key returner for FIU is sophomore guard Zaida Gonzalez. She had a busy offseason as she played for Team Puerto Rico for their Senior National Team and competed in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup this past September before she rejoined the team. Last season, the West Palm Beach native started 25 games, the most out of the six returning players.
Also returning is junior forward Maria Torres and senior center Hope Butera. They will anchor the defense down low for the Panthers after Torres finished last season leading the team with 38 blocks. Olivia Trice and Sifa Joyeuse round off the returners and they will provide depth at the guard/ forward position.
The Panthers added four newcomers for the 2022-2023 season headlined by Senior transfer Kaliah Henderson. Henderson is a guard that played the last three season at St. Joseph's University. In her last two seasons with the Hawks, she averaged 11.4 points in her sophomore year and 10.2 points her junior year. She was also a force on the glass for her position as she averaged exactly 5.0 rebounds per game last season.
Adding some depth in the frontcourt is junior forward Ajae Yoakum. She is a transfer from Eastern Arizona College where she averaged 10.3 points a game last season and 9.3 points in conference games. That mark was eighth best in the whole conference. (ACCAC) She was also one of the top rebounders in the conference averaging 5.2 per game last season. She averaged 4.6 rebounds in conference games which was ninth best in the ACCAC.
One of the new international players on the roster is junior shooting guard Sariana Rodriguez Camacho. She transferred from Florida Southwestern State College where she excelled from beyond the arc. In 18 games last season, the Puerto Rican native shot 42.6 percent from three-point range. In high school, she helped her team reach a perfect 94-0 record and was three times named her team's MVP. As a senior in high school, she averaged 12.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, leading her squad to a National Championship.
The final newcomer is redshirt junior shooting guard Mihaela Lazic. The 5'6" shooting guard is transferring from the University of South Florida with a lot of international experience as well. She played in the FIBA 2017 and 2018 European Championships and during the 2018-19 campaign, she played in the A-1 Croatian League where she averaged 21.4 points, 5.4 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.
FIU finished the 2021-2022 season with a 15-16 overall record and a 6-12 record in Conference USA action. The Panthers were picked to finish 10
th in the Conference USA Preseason Poll.
SCOUTING NC CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
The Eagles are coming off a 5-20 season and finished seventh in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings with a 3-11 conference record. They had a 4-5 record at home and a 1-15 record on the road. NCCU is led by head coach Trisha Stafford-Odom and is enterting her sixth season with the Eagles.
NCCU is highlighted by their lone senior, Guard Kira Lowery. She was NCCU's team MVP last season and averaging 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Junior forward Tianna Carter led NCCU in scoring last season averaging 9.2 points and was also the team's top rebounder corralling 7.3 rebounds per game. The Eagles will be tested right out of the gate as Carter will miss the start of the season due to injury.
The Eagles have three other returns to round off the core. Junior wing Taylor Williams (4.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.6 SPG), sophomore guard Nia Ford (5.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG) and sophomore forward Morgan Callahan (3.5 PPG & 2.3 RPG in 2020-21).
Sophomore forwards Aniya Finger and Sydney Avoletta look to bounce back as injuries limited their action last season. They will provide the front-court depth for the Eagles. Point guard Junior Tippy Robertson will help pace the offense for NCCU after playing the last three seasons at Stetson. The Eagles will also feature three-point specialist junior Kimeira Burks. She is transferring from Daytona State College where she averaged close to 12 points per game last season. NCCU will feature only one freshman, Jerni Kiaku.
This game will be the first time the Eagles travel to Miami. They hosted FIU three seasons ago where the Panthers won that game, 59-58, in overtime on Dec. 6, 2019.
UP NEXT
The Panthers welcome Florida Gulf Coast University to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. The matchup is scheduled to be broadcasted on ESPN+
TICKETS
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