BOCA RATON, Fla. – (March 7, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (13-16, 7-11 C-USA) achieved a convincing victory over Marshall (12-17, 7-11 C-USA) on Saturday, 68-50. Crystal Primm tallied 15 points to surpass 1,000 points on her career on Senior Day.
How It Was Decided:
The Owls jumped right out to a 7-0 lead to begin the ball game, but Marshall quickly tied things up a little under halfway through the first quarter. Alexa Zaph then sunk two 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to regain the lead, 13-7. The Owls then made three 3-pointers on the next three possessions courtesy of Zaph, Amber Gaston and Allie Tylka. The Owls took a 24-13 lead after one quarter of play, as FAU was 6-12 from beyond the arc.
In the second quarter, the Owls went on a 6-3 run to go ahead, 30-16. After a 3-pointer by the Thundering Herd, Marshall creeped up within eight points with 1:12 remaining in the half. That was the closest Marshall would get to taking the lead the rest of the game, as a jumper by Juliette Gauthier and layup by Primm put the Owls up by 12 points with a score of 39-27.
FAU outscored Marshall 20-9, while holding the Herd to an 18.8 shooting percentage in the third quarter. The Owls ended the frame on a 13-2 run, which allowed them to take a 23-point lead going into the final quarter of play.
It took 2:05 for either team to strike in the fourth quarter, but a Gauthier layup extended the Owls’ lead, 61-36. With 3:50 remaining in the game, Nikola Ozola hit the Owls’ 10th 3-pointer of the contest to put the Owls up by 25, their largest lead of the day. With 50 seconds remaining, Primm came up with a jumper to surpass 1,000 points in her collegiate career. The Thundering Herd put up two 3-pointers with under a minute remaining in the game, but the Owls still cruised on to a 68-50 victory in their final home game of the 2019-20 regular season.
Game Notes:
- Primm tallied a near triple-double on her Senior Day, capturing 15 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and matching a career-high six assists, while playing 39 minutes in the contest. The West Palm Beach, Florida native now has 437 points on the season and 1,001 in her career
- Zaph matched a career-high 14 points, logging a career-high four 3-pointers. The freshman added two boards, two steals and an assist
- Gauthier picked up nine points, four steals, three boards and two assists
- Tylka logged a career-high nine points and career-high three steals
- Astou Gaye delivered seven points and six rebounds, while Amber Gaston tallied six points and five boards
- The Owls have played two straight games with 10 3-pointers
- FAU held Marshall to a 31.5 shooting percentage
- Marshall had 23 turnovers compared to FAU’s 13, which is tied for the least amount the Owls have had this season
- All eight players who played more than 10 minutes in the game recorded a basket
- The Owls have earned seven conference wins, which is tied for the most in the Owls’ days of belonging in Conference USA
- FAU was 9-7 at home this season, their best feat since the 2017-18 season
With Coach Jabir:
“I’m very proud of our defensive effort today,” said head coach Jim Jabir. “The kids showed a lot of focus. I’m very proud of Crystal [Primm] and her milestones. She has had a great career and I hope we can extend it through the tournament. It was a good team-effort and I was really proud of our progress today.”
Up Next:
FAU will head to Frisco, Texas to take part in the 2020 Air Force Reserve C-USA Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at the Star. The Owls will find out their seeding and opponent, as the bracket will be released on Saturday night following the conclusion of the day’s games.
Owls on Social Media:
For complete coverage of FAU women’s basketball, follow us on Twitter (@FAU_WBB), Instagram (@FAU_WBB) and Facebook (Florida Atlantic Women’s Basketball).
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Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
