Women's Hoops Welcomes FIU on Tuesday for School Day Game, Tipoff at 11 a.m.

ORLANDO - UCF women's hoops will strive to bounce back Tuesday morning, as it welcomes FIU to Addition Financial Arena for the program's annual school day game. With tipoff set for 11 a.m., kids from across Central Florida will pack the stands and cheer for the Black and Gold as they continue their season-opening five-game homestand.

• Opponent: FIU Panthers
• Date: Monday, November 18, 2025
• Location: Orlando, Florida
• Venue: Addition Financial Arena
• Time: 11 p.m.
• On the Call: Scott Adams and BJ Taylor
• Promo: School Day Game

About the Panthers

FIU split its first two contests of the season, falling at South Florida on opening night before returning home and defeating Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. Panthers Head Coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley is heading into her sixth season as FIU’s head Women’s Basketball Coach, the second-longest tenured HC in program history. The Panthers’ best season in the Burks-Wiley era came in the 2023-24 season, seeing the Panthers win 21 games and make it to the second round of the Postseason WNIT. FIU welcomes back 5 returners from the 2024-25 campaign. Guard Parris Atkins and guard Fantasia James represented FIU on the 2025 CUSA All-Conference awards. Parris Atkins was placed on the All-CUSA Second Team, while Fantasia James’ performance landed her on the CUSA AllFreshman team. - From FIU Notes

Harmon's Hot Start
Miami transfer and sophomore guard Leah Harmon has been dominant through her first two games, leading the Knights in scoring with a combined 31 points, setting career marks vs. Bethune-Cookman (14 pts.), then Charlotte (17 pts.). Harmon's 31 points through her first two contests at UCF are the second most by a transfer this decade and the ninth most by any Knight in the first two games of a season since 2015.

Opening Knight Success
Head coach Sytia Messer improved to 4-0 in season openers with the Knights as her squad dominated Bethune-Cookman 75-36 in front of 6,000-plus at Addition Financial Arena... The 39-point win margin also stands as the second-largest victory under Messer, sitting just a point away from the 40-point win against Winthrop (72-32)... All-time, the Knights are 26-23 in season openers and 35-14 in home openers... In the four contests, UCF has outscored its opponents 324-175 in season-opening contests.

Season-openers under coach Messer:

• Nov. 3, 2025 vs. Bethune-Cookman | W, 75-36 (+39)
• Nov. 5, 2024 vs. Iona | W, 76-44 (+32)
• Nov. 6, 2023 vs. Bethune-Cookman | W, 101-63 (+38)
• Nov. 7, 2022 vs. Winthrop | W, 72-32 (+40)

Sunshine State Dominance
The Knights have won five straight games against in-state opponents, going a perfect 3-0 a season ago after splitting a pair of contests in 2023-24. This season, the Knights opened with a win over Bethune-Cookman and will play three more Sunshine State foes, the most in a campaign under Messer and the most overall since the 2015-16 season when UCF played six.

Tamed the Wildcats
The Wildcats mustered just 36 points, the second-fewest points the Knights have allowed in the Messer era, and four off the 32 points Winthrop scored in Messer's first game in charge on November 7, 2022... Moreover, Bethune-Cookman's 14 first-half points were the fewest in any half allowed since the Knights held Campbell to 11 second-half points on Dec. 3, 2023... The Wildcats failed to score in double digits over the first two quarters, adding just 10 in the third and 12th in the fourth.

SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW

UCF women's basketball single-match and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action at Addition Financial Arena. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS

UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.