FAU’s Comeback Falls Short in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (1-2) fell short at Richmond (3-1) Saturday night in a 57-55 loss. After trailing by as many as 20 points in the game, the Owls clawed their way back, as Abby Voss delivered a game-tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. Richmond would then pull ahead by two to set up FAU for another potential miracle, but the Owls fell shy of pulling off a huge comeback in the Spiders’ home opener.

How It Was Decided:

The Owls got off to a slow start, taking 3:18 to score, as Amber Gaston cashed in on two foul shots. Juliette Gauthier would then get a good look for 3-pointer to tie the game 5-5 with 6:08 left in the first quarter. The Owls would then get cold, going into a scoring drought for nearly five minutes, but Astou Gaye brought it back with a shot from downtown to bring the score to 14-8 after one frame of play.

Crystal Primm capitalized from the 3-point to open up the first quarter, but the Owls would then fall into another period of scoring deficiency, this time at 6:08 minutes. Tanyia Gordon would end the drought with a 3-pointer, as the Owls went into the locker room trailing 36-19.

The Owls were able to erase a 17-point deficit in the second half, as they outscored the Spiders 17-11 in the third. Just prior to the end of the period, Primm came up with a good look under the basket to put the Owls within 11 points and make for a 47-36 game.

The Owls delivered in the fourth, as they outscored the Spiders, 19-10. Gaye got things started by cutting the Spiders’ lead to single-digits on a layup, 47-38. The Owls would then score eight unanswered points, capped off by an easy layup with no defenders in sight for Primm to make for a 51-50 game with 4:22 remaining. Fast forward to 10 seconds on the clock, the Owls were down by three, but Abby Voss delivered from downtown to tie the game. After Richmond took a timeout to get the ball on their end of the court, the Spiders pulled ahead for good, as FAU was unable to mustard a second-straight game-winning shot, falling to Richmond, 57-55.

Game Notes:

  • Primm delivered her second double-double of the season, while tallying a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds
  • Gordon had a career night in her young Owl career, as she reached double digits for the first time with 11 points, along with five rebounds and two blocks
  • Gauthier was the third Owl in double digits with 10 points and six rebounds
  • Lotta Vehka-Aho tallied a career-high seven assists on Saturday night
  • Gaye scored seven points, pulled down six rebounds and delivered a monster block in just 12 minutes played

Up Next:

FAU will hold their home opener on Tuesday against Siena at 7 p.m. followed by hosting Little Rock on Thursday at 7 p.m. For tickets, call 1-800-FAU-OWLS or visit FAUSports.com.
 

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 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry 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.