MIAMI, Fla. — The Jacksonville Dolphins opened the 2026-27 season in the win column, defeating the FIU Panthers 75-64. The win marked the 50th under head coach
Special Jennings.
The Dolphins (1-0) were led by freshman
Samirah Mamoudou who had a star turn in her college debut. She led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds
Jacksonville came out fast in the first quarter, especially Mamoudou. She was in double-figures by the end of the first, scoring 11 points on 4-7 shooting in the opening stanza. She thrived getting the cup, including a spinning effort to the hoop late in the period.
Mamoudou and fellow freshman
J'Niya Weaver were electric throughout the first half, combining for 30 points (17 for Mamoudou, 13 for Weaver) at the break.
In the third quarter, Jacksonville took over the game. Nursing a three-point lead at the break, JU outscored FIU 24-13 in the third quarter to take a double-digit lead into the second half. Freshman
Coco Rudolph splashed a triple to put the 'Phins up 50-38 as they started to roll.
Right at the end of the quarter, the Dolphin defense forced a turnover before Weaver scored through contact to send JU into the fourth with a fury.
The offense slowed down in the fourth quarter, but Jacksonville carried through the final whistle to hold on to the 11-point victory on opening night.
Game Notes
- With Mamoudou's 21-point night, JU has had a freshman score at least 20 points in her college debut in back-to-back seasons joining teammate Tatum Brown last season.
- Weaver finished with 18 points, shooting 5-10 from the field and a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line.
- Jacksonville shot 25-30 from the free throw line. Since the start of the 2024-25 season, JU has nine games with at least 25 made free throws.
- The Dolphins recorded 14 steals with five from both Brown and Mamoudou.
- JU had four players in double-figures: Mamoudou, Weaver, Rudolph (10 points) and sophomore Aniah Smith (13 points).
Head Coach Special Jennings
Opening Statement
"Tonight was great. I got to see what it would look like against other competition, and great competition at that. That's a great team, they won 20 games last season, and I believe they'll win probably 20 games again this season, and so I'm just proud of the overall effort by our team."
On the freshman class
"They're just dogs. I don't have to inject them with any type of courage. You know, they show up, they're not scared, and they're ready to to face the challenge. And so I knew what I was getting when I went and recruited them, and I was just trying to tell everybody else. I'm excited that they're on my team. We got a lot of work to do, but man, it's exciting."
On starting the season strong
"Any time you can go into into the season starting off with a win to give you that confidence, especially with the team with us being so young, it's huge. I thought this was great. Get a win under our belt as we go Thursday to play Miami. We've gotta bring it again, but I am thrilled with the effort. Like I said, I think that we have a very competitive, strong team, and I'm just excited to see what we do the rest of the season."
Up Next
The Dolphins are staying in South Florida before taking on the Miami Hurricanes Thursday night. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 PM, and the game will be streamed on ACCNX.
