Lions WBB Hosting LSU-Shreveport In Home Opener Thursday

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (0-2) vs. Louisiana State University-Shreveport Pilots (2-2)
When: Thursday, November 4, 2021
Where: Florida Memorial, Miami Gardens, Fla. | FMU Wellness Center
Tip-off: 7 p.m.
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: General Admission $5 (Purchase)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Florida Memorial University will be hoping that playing inside the friendly confines of its home arena in front of a juiced home crowd that'll be on campus as the school celebrates its homecoming will be the extra boost needed to earn a victory when it hosts Louisiana State University-Shreveport Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the FMU Wellness Center.

Thursday's game, which will be the home opener for the Lions, will be the first athletic event of the school's week of homecoming festivities. Prior to 2021, Florida Memorial would host its homecoming during the spring with it typically culminating with home basketball events. However, since the school rebirthed its football program, it shifted its homecoming celebration to the fall to coincide with the football season but also catch the overlapping of the fall sports (football, soccer, and volleyball) and the winter sports (basketball). Because of that, fans will get to attend Thursday's basketball game and the volleyball program's senior night game on Friday before the taking in school's first-ever homecoming football game on Saturday.

Celebrations aside, FMU enters the game Thursday looking to rebound from its performance at the Dream Invitational back on October 23-24, where it dropped a pair of games to open the season.

Lions head coach Gregory Stanback knew that the early part of the season would be a "process" as his roster is full of new players still looking to build chemistry and continuity.

It also didn't help that Florida Memorial's roster has already been nibbled by the dreaded injury bug. Two of the team's returning players – Cheyanne Whitfield and Jamari Tillman – missed the first two games of the season due to injury. While Tillman's return is imminent, Whitfield (lower extremity) may miss an extended amount of time.

FMU (0-2) will have one its top returning players back in the lineup Thursday in guard Keaynna Tolbert. Tolbert, a 2021 Sun Conference First-Team selection, missed the first two games for an undisclosed reason, but returned to practice over the extended time since the October games, and should be available against LSU-Shreveport.

Thursday's game with the Pilots will be the first women's basketball meeting between the programs and the Lions will be welcoming an LSU-Shreveport team that has lost its past two and is also hungry for a victory.

Florida Memorial's defensive scouting report will be focused on Pilots senior DeAuja Thompson. The 6-foot-1 guard leads LSU-Shreveport (2-2) in scoring and rebounds this season, posting 17 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and could pose a matchup problem for the Lions.

LSU-Shreveport's overall size could test the Lions. In addition to the 6-foot-1 Thompson, the Pilots routinely play 6-foot-2 center Chelsey White, 5-foot-9 guard Kiara Collins, and 5-foot-11 forward Nykeria Jones.

Look for Stanback to turn up the defensive pressure on the Pilots, calling on an array of his traps and presses to speed up the tempo of the game and force LSU-Shreveport into turnovers – creating easier scoring opportunities for his team.

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