MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Women's basketball (17-10, 10-6 CUSA) will head out on their final road trip before the Conference USA tournament, taking on Middle Tennessee (15-13, 10-6 CUSA) on Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Thursday, March 5 at Middle Tennessee

• Time/Site: 7:30 p.m. ET / Murphy Center

• Series History: Middle Tennessee leads, 38-11

QUICK FACTS

FIU is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the CUSA tournament. A victory over MTSU would give the Panthers the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Blue Raiders, as FIU beat MTSU earlier this season in Miami.

The Panthers beat Middle Tennessee for the first time since 2022 earlier this season. FIU has not beaten the Blue Raiders on the road since 2012.

Coming into the matchup, FIU are second in CUSA in scoring on the season with 69.9 points scored per game, and are also third in CUSA-play, putting up 64.4 points on CUSA opponents.

Rhema Collins has been a force all season, coming into the matchup with 12 double-doubles, first in CUSA and 25th in the nation. On the season, Collins is second in CUSA with 17.3 points per game, third with 9.1 rebounds per game and first in blocks per game with 1.6.

Parris Atkins has been as advertised from her CUSA Preseason All-Conference selection. The guard is third in CUSA, averaging 16.8 points per game, and has been all over the court on defense. With 3 steals per game, she is second in CUSA and 19th in the nation in steals. 

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.

Atkins also scored 20+ points two games in a row from 1/10-1/15/23. She is the first player to achieve that status since the 2022-23 season. Rhema Collins followed that up with another two 20+ point in a row performances in the Panthers' road trip at New Mexico State and UTEP.

Rhema Collins and Adama Badjie Coly both had double-doubles against Western Kentucky this season. This was the first time two Panthers had a double-double in the same game since the opening game of the 2024-25 season.

Freshman Grecia Ferrer Leal has been as good as you can get from a first year, ranking in the top-5 in the league in both assists per game and total assists. 

Junior Denika Lightbourne had a career day against Jacksonville State when she put up a staggering 25 points in just 16 minutes played. She surpassed her previous career-high of 21 which she achieved in the first game of the season against South Florida.

CUSA Leaders:

OFFENSIVE

Scoring:

Rhema Collins, 2nd - 17.3 ppg

Parris Atkins, 3rd - 16.8 ppg

Rebounding:

Rhema Collins, 3rd - 9.1 rpg

Field Goal %:

Rhema Collins, 4th - 45.2%

Free-Throw %:

Parris Atkins, 4th - 77.5%

Rhema Collins, 6th - 74.1%

Assists:

Grecia Ferrer, 5th - 3.8 apg

Total Assists:

Grecia Ferrer, 2nd - 102

DEFENSIVE

Blocks:

Rhema Collins, 1st - 1.6 bpg

Steals:

Parris Atkins, 2nd - 3.0 spg

Rhema Collins, 7th - 2.2

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. 

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 BLUE RAIDERS

MTSU comes into the contest with a 10-6 record against CUSA opponents, currently tied for second in the standings. Since the Panthers beat the Blue Raiders on February 7, Middle Tennessee is 3-2, dropping games to Western Kentucky and Liberty. MTSU comes into the matchup scoring 60.3 points a game, while allowing 59 a contest, 10th and 3rd in CUSA, respectively.

The Blue Raiders are led by guard Alayna Contreras, putting up 13.4 points per game, good for ninth in CUSA. However, the senior has been stellar in conference-play, currently third in CUSA in scoring against conference opponents, putting up 16.5 points per game. Contreras is also tied for the team-lead in assists per game overall with 2, and is second on the Blue Raiders with 1.3 steals a contest.

The guard is complimented by standout freshman Blair Baugus, second on the team with 12.4 points scored a game and paces MTSU with 9.2 rebounds a game, the latter of which is currently second in CUSA. Baugus is also tied for first in CUSA with FIU's Rhema Collins with 12 double-doubles on the season. 

Macie Phifer is the final Blue Raider scoring in double-figures on the season, currently averaging 11.2 points per game on 44% shooting, also dishing out 1.5 assists a contest.

A Panther victory would give FIU much needed breathing room in the conference standings, with just two games left to play in the 2025-26 season. 

TICKETS

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

SOCIAL MEDIA

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@fiuwbb), Twitter (@FIUWBB), and Facebook (@FIUWBasketball) for all the latest Women's Basketball news. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSportson Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.