BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (8-9, 6-7 Conference USA) earned their fourth straight home win Friday night by knocking off Southern Miss (7-10, 5-10 C-USA), 78-63. Iggy Allen was unstoppable in the Owls’ effort to snap the Lady Eagle’s three-game winning streak over FAU after tallying 33 points and 18 rebounds in the win. The Owls also shot 53 percent from the field.
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
1Q
The Owls got off to a hot start, as Iggy Allen tallied five of the Owls’ first seven points. Not surprisingly, the guard led the way with a quick 10 points and three boards after the first six minutes of play. The Owls then fell in a scoring drought for almost three minutes, as Southern Miss caught up and cut the Owls’ lead, 13-9, with three minutes left. The Owls ended the quarter on a 6-0 run, leading Southern Miss, 21-14. Allen logged 15 points and four rebounds in the first quarter alone, tallying more points than the whole Southern Miss team.
2Q
Allen continued to light it up on the court, opening the quarter with a jumper. The Owls would then fall into a three-minute scoring drought, while Southern Miss charged on a 6-0 run. Allen broke the drought with a pullup jumper off a turnover. At the media timeout, the Owls led 30-26 with 4:40 left in the half. Southern Miss got within three points with less than three minutes left, but Astou Gaye knocked down her second 3-pointer in the quarter, as the Owls led 35-29. FAU led 37-31 at the half.
3Q
Sofia Galeron started the Owls off in the second half, delivering a 3-pointer off a lucky bounce, as the Owls led at the media timeout, 40-31. Not long after, Allen notched another deadly 3-pointer, her third of the night as the Owls’ extended their lead to 12. Galeron helped the Owls take their largest lead of the night of 13 points off her second 3-pointer of the game. Southern Miss then went on a 6-0 run to cut the Owls’ lead, 48-41, with 2:29 remaining. The Lady Eagles cut the Owls’ lead within four, but FAU cruised on a 7-0 run to end the frame. FAU’s run in the quarter was capped off by Allen receiving a beautiful pass from Bre Beck to knock down a triple. The Owls led 57-46 after three quarters of play.
4Q
FAU kept the momentum rolling into the final quarter, going on an 8-3 run. The Owls took a 16-point lead after Allen made a second-chance layup with 6:30 on the clock. Southern Miss tallied their first 3-pointer of the night with 2:35 left in the game, but the Owls still led 70-60 with 2:17 left in the contest. The Owls outscored the Lady Eagles in the fourth quarter, 21-17, to earn a 78-63 win.
GAME NOTES
- Allen had an unbelievable night, notching 33 points and a career-high 18 rebounds along with three steals. The guard was a perfect 8-8 from the floor in the first half, ending the night shooting 13-17. She tallied her ninth double-double of the season
- Galeron had a great night of shooting, tallying a career-high 17 points on 7-11 shooting with three assists
- Gaye logged 11 points and three assists
- Jaenta Rozentale registered eight points and tied a career-high 13 boards
- Amber Gaston recorded three blocks
- Alexa Zaph came up with five assists
- FAU broke a three-game losing streak over Southern Miss
- The Owls outrebounded the Lady Eagles, 42-33
- FAU shot 53 percent from the floor, their second time shooting over 50 percent this season
FROM COACH JIM
“It is good to play ugly with a very short roster and find a way to outrebound a very good rebounding team,” said head coach Jim Jabir. “We must improve our offensive efficiency and take better care of the ball. We are winning and must continue improve.”
UP NEXT
FAU will close out the final home series of the year tomorrow against the Lady Eagles with a 2 p.m. tipoff. Tickets may be purchased here. All tickets for home games will be delivered digitally on individual mobile devices. Season tickets may be purchased through the ticket office by calling 1-800-FAU-OWLS (866-328-6957) or emailing tickets@fau.edu.
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