AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (2-3, 0-0) at Ave Maria University Gyrenes (7-0, 0-0)
When: Saturday, November 16, 2019
Where: Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Florida | Tom Golisano Field House
Tipoff: 2 p.m.
Last Meeting: Feb. 19, 2019, FMU win 76-70
Live Stream Video & Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/avemaria/
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Florida Memorial University's women's basketball team will be looking to not only even up its record this season, but also continue a recent run of success against Ave Maria University when it travels to face the Gyrenes Saturday at the Tom Golisano Field House.
The game, which is set to tip at 2 p.m. and is the first game of a women-men doubleheader, will be the Sun Conference opener for both teams.
Lions head coach
Gregory Stanback said that his squad is ready for the fairly early conference opener.
"I feel like our non-conference schedule has prepared us for this early season conference game," Stanback said. "Ave Maria is well-disciplined and well-coached team. I'm excited to see how the matchup will play out."
Stanback hopes it plays out similarly to how the previous two matchups did.
FMU defeated Ave Maria 75-71 in this past season's regular season finale and knocked off the Lady Gyrenes again three days later 76-70 in the Sun Conference Tournament's opening round.
While six players from that 2018-19 team returned for the Lions this season, there are a lot of new faces on the roster. And that newness has shown itself in the way of an early season shooting slump for FMU. After opening the season with a blowout victory over the University of the Virgin Islands, the Lions dropped its next three game. In those losses, FMU saw its shooting percentage take a slight dip in each game.
Things shooting slump – and the losing streak – was snapped this past Saturday with a 94-53 win over Johnson College (FL), a game in which the Lions shot just over 50 percent from the field.
Coach Stanback is confident that more of his team's shots will start falling through the bottom of the net.
"It's always a challenge playing on the road for long stretch," Stanback said. "Obviously, we wish our shots were falling at a higher percentage. I am pleased with the shots we're taking and I know our team believes those shots will start going in."
