BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (4-7) will open up Conference USA play against Marshall (7-4, 2-0 in C-USA) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Abessinio Court at FAU Arena. After the Owls had 19 days away from game action, the team is ready to open up conference play versus the Thundering Herd.
ABOUT THE OWLS
- FAU women’s basketball is under a new direction with first-year head coach Jennifer Sullivan, who is a 16-year coaching veteran and the sixth head coach in program history
- The Owls were unable to get its C-USA schedule started last weekend as planned, as Charlotte and Old Dominion postponed their games due to COVID-19 protocols. Saturday’s game against Marshall will mark the opening of C-USA play for the Owls
- FAU will play its first game in 19 days, as the team is coming off two straight losses after being shorthanded with seven active players during the FAU Pre-Christmas Tournament
- The team brings back nine student-athletes from the 2020-21 squad, all of whom have seen time on a collegiate court
- Amber Gaston leads the Owls with 14.1 points per game and a .562 field goal percentage, which is the 33rd best in the NCAA
- Janeta Rozentale has a team’s most 9.2 rebounds per game
- Kynadi Kuykendoll leads the way with 3.2 assists per game with 35 total
- FAU has four Owls averaging double digits in scoring (Gaston, Alexa Zaph, Rozentale and Rita Pleskevich)
- The Owls stand second in C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage (.341), third in free throw percentage (.737) and third in defensive rebounds per game (27.91)
LAST TIME OUT
- The Owls are coming off back-to-back losses at the FAU Pre-Christmas Tournament to close out the non-conference schedule
- FAU was shorthanded during the tournament with just seven active players
- In the Owls’ 81-63 loss to Richmond, FAU led in the first half, but the Spiders charged on for a huge second half
- Kimia Carter had a breakout weekend, scoring 19 (7-for-13) against Richmond and 21 (7-for-14) vs. Alabama A&M. She has averaged 20 points per game over the last two games
- Gaston scored 14 points versus Richmond and matched a career-high four blocks against Alabama A&M
- Sofia Galeron logged her first career double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) against Alabama A&M
- Pleskevich matched a season-high 15 points along with a career-high five assists over Alabama A&M
SCOUTING MARSHALL
- Marshall is rolling on a four-game winning streak, opening up C-USA play with a 2-0 mark
- The Herd were picked to finish ninth (one spot ahead of FAU) in the C-USA Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches
- Savannah Wheeler was one of eight chosen to the C-USA Preseason Team. She averaged 17.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 2020-21
- Wheeler is not only the team’s leading scorer, but is the top scorer in C-USA, averaging 20.6 points per game and 2.8 assists per game
- Lorelei Roper leads the way on the boards with 7.1 rebounds per game and has a team’s most 17 blocks
- Aaliyah Dunham has a team’s most 46 assists, which averages out to 4.2 per game
SERIES HISTORY
- FAU has the slight edge on Marshall in the series, 6-5
- The Owls have won three out of the last five against the Herd
- This series dates back to 2014, the first year both schools became C-USA opponents
- Last year’s series against the Herd was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the last meetup between these two teams was in 2020 when both squads met up twice
- In the Owls’ first game against the Herd in 2020, FAU fell 85-75 in Huntington, West Virginia
- FAU earned the 68-50 win at home in the Owls’ final home game in 2020 versus the Herd. Alexa Zaph delivered 14 points (4-for-8 from 3-point) off the bench, while Amber Gaston logged six points and five boards
SULLIVAN’S STATEMENTS
On Saturday’s game:
“We are really excited obviously since we didn’t get to kick off with the rest of the league this past weekend. We have had a good week of practice. We have had some bumps and bruises along the way, and now I feel good about where our health should be going into Saturday.”
Scouting Marshall:
“The biggest thing for us [since] we haven’t played in a while will be us settling into the game. I’m excited about the opportunity to play at home, especially opening weekend when school starts, so I’m hoping we will have a decent crowd out here to support the team. Wheeler is going to be a big part, but really all of them in terms of us doing what we need to do defensively. Being locked into the game plan, we expect the back and forth, momentum changing type of conference matchup you normally see this time of year, and I think our kids are mentally and physically ready to tackle it.”
On bench players stepping up:
“That’s a major upside when you have to do that next man up mentality. Kimia Carter obviously had a great weekend with 40 points in the course of those two games. She had a great weekend and I think that was great for her confidence and for our entire team to see that spark out of her. Simona Henshaw played a lot of minutes [during the Pre-Christmas Tournament], our one true freshman, and she hadn’t played a bunch up to that point, but I think it was great for her. It gave us a lot of footage to look at and work with her on.”
UPCOMING
The Owls will remain at home for two more games, as the squad hosts Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. and UAB on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased here for Middle Tennessee and here for UAB, or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
OWLS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For complete coverage of FAU women’s basketball, follow us on Twitter (@FAUWBB), Instagram (@FAUWBB) and Facebook (FAU Women’s Basketball).
