MIAMI - Women's basketball looks to gain their first victory of CUSA-play this season when they welcome Jacksonville State to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Thursday, January 8 at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 8 vs Jacksonville State

• Time/Site: 7 p.m. / Ocean Bank Convocation Center

• Series History: FIU leads, 9-2

QUICK FACTS

The Panthers have gotten the better of the Gamecocks in their series history, leading 9-2 all time and 3-1 since Jax State entered Conference USA during the 2023-24 season.

The Panthers scored at will in non-conference play, finishing two games with over 100 points, and six games with over 75. Coming into the matchup, FIU are first in the CUSA in scoring on the season with 77.2 points scored per game. 

Rhema Collins scored a career-high 40 points against Georgia State. It is the most points scored in CUSA this season, and the most any player in CUSA has scored since the 2022-23 season. It's the first time an FIU player has had a 40-point performance since 2017, and she is only the seventh player since at least 1994 to achieve 40 points in a game as a Panther.

Parris Atkins scored a career-high 35 points against Missouri State in the Panthers' first game of conference-play this season. She is only the 24th player in program history to score 35 or more points in a game since 2005, and it is the second most points scored that any player in Conference USA has scored this season.

Rhema Collins has been a force all season, coming into the matchup with six  double-doubles. On the season, Collins is first in CUSA with 19.7 points per game, first with 10.4 rebounds per game and first in blocks per game as well with 1.7.

Parris Atkins has been as advertised from her CUSA Preseason All-Conference selection. The guard is second in CUSA, averaging 18.8 points per game, and has been all over the court on defense. With 4.1 steals per game, she is first in CUSA and third in the nation in steals. 

Freshman Grecia Ferrer Leal has been as good as you can get from a first year, ranking in the top-3 in the league in both assists per game and total assists. The guard is scrappy on defense as well, currently averaging 2.25 assists per game, eighth in CUSA.

Early CUSA Leaders:

Scoring:

Rhema Collins, 1st - 19.7 ppg

Parris Atkins, 2nd - 18.8 ppg

Rebounding:

Rhema Collins, 1st - 10.4 rpg

Field Goal %:

Rhema Collins, T-2nd - 50%

Assists:

Grecia Ferrer, 3rd - 4.3 apg

Total Assists:

Grecia Ferrer, 2nd - 51 assists

Blocks:

Rhema Collins, 1st - 1.7 bpg

Steals:

Parris Atkins, 1st - 4.1 spg (3rd in NCAA)

Sophomore Ndate Ndiaye scored her career-high against Florida National with 15 points. She surpassed her previous career-high of 13 points which came in a victory over Seattle in the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament. 

Junior Denika Lightbourne had a career day in the Panthers' first game of the season against USF (11.3.25). The Bahamas native dropped 21 points and eight rebounds, both of which were career highs.

FIU welcomes back five returners to Miami in senior Parris Atkins, redshirt-sophomore Fantasia James, junior Judit Valero and sophomores Ndate Ndiaye and Claudia Marina.

Parris Atkins and Fantasia James were both honored with CUSA All-Conference awards last season. Parris Atkins, then in her first season as a Panther, was an immediate contributor and made the CUSA All-Conference Second Team. James, a redshirt freshman at the time, was named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team for her performance during the 2024-25 season.

FIU has the most international players rostered in Conference USA. The Panthers boast 12 of their 14 players born outside of the United States.

FIU is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw the Panthers go 11-18 overall and 7-11 in conference-play, ending sixth in the conference. 

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS

Jacksonville State enters the contest with a 7–7 overall record and a 1–1 mark in Conference USA play, defeating Western Kentucky in its conference opener before falling to Middle Tennessee.

The Gamecocks are led by longtime Jacksonville State forward Mya Barnes, who paces the team with 11.0 points per game this season. Barnes also leads the team in rebounding at 7.8 per game and tops the roster in both steals and blocks, averaging 1.2 in each category.

Guard Adriana Jones ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game in 28 minutes per contest, while also dishing out 1.6 assists per game. The senior erupted for a season-high 26 points against Southern Miss and has recorded five double-figure scoring performances this season.

The Panthers will look to continue their strong play against Jacksonville State, as FIU is currently riding a two-game winning streak over the Gamecocks and holds a 9–2 advantage in the all-time series.

TICKETS

For more information on FIU tickets to FIU basketball home games, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit HERE

SOCIAL MEDIA

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