BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (4-13, 0-6 in Conference USA) is back in Boca Raton to host UTEP (12-5. 4-3) on Thursday night after enduring an eight-day road trip. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Abessinio Court at FAU Arena.
ABOUT THE OWLS
- The Owls are searching for their first win since Dec. 7. FAU is on an eight-game losing streak, while dropping the first six league games
- Amber Gaston leads the Owls with 13.1 points per game and a .525 field goal percentage
- Janeta Rozentale has a team’s most 8.1 rebounds per game. In her last four game appearances, the redshirt junior has logged 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game
- Kynadi Kuykendoll leads the way with 3.1 assists per game (52 total)
- FAU has four Owls averaging double digits in scoring (Gaston, Alexa Zaph, Rozentale and Rita Pleskevich)
- The Owls stand second in free throw percentage (.758) and third in defensive rebounds per game (27.2) in Conference USA
- Jennifer Sullivan is in her first season at the helm of the FAU women’s basketball program. She is a 16-year coaching veteran and the sixth head coach in program history
- FAU brings back eight student-athletes from the 2020-21 team, all of whom have seen time on a college court
LAST TIME OUT
- FAU dropped their road game at Marshall, 57-44, in overtime
- The Owls were shutout in the overtime period, 13-0
- Pleskevich logged 13 points and five rebounds
- Rozentale registered her fourth double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds
- Sofia Galeron pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds
SCOUTING UTEP
- UTEP was projected to finish third in a three-way tie in the C-USA Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches
- Katia Gallegos was one of eight selected to the C-USA Preseason Team. Last season, she tallied 13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game
- Destiny Thurman leads the Miners this season with 12.9 points per game
- Gallegos follows with 11.9 points per game along with a team-leading 3.6 assists per game
- Elina Arike has a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per game along with 10.3 points per game
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE MINERS
- The Miners hold the 10-4 advantage over the Owls in the all-time series
- FAU is 2-3 at home, 2-5 on the road and 0-2 at a neutral site vs. UTEP
- The series commenced in 2014, FAU’s first year in Conference USA. Both sides have played one another each season since
- The first meeting was on March 5, 2014 and resulted in a 98-62 win for FAU
- Last season, the Owls broke a four-game losing streak against the Miners, defeating the team 67-62 in El Paso, Texas, for the first of two games in the series. Allie Tylka delivered 13 points and six rebounds, while Pleskevich and Zaph logged 11 points, apiece
AN OWL WIN MEANS
- Head coach Jennifer Sullivan will earn her first C-USA win as a head coach
- The Owls will snap an eight-game losing streak
- FAU will break a two-game losing skid vs. the Miners
UPCOMING
FAU will host UTSA on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game represents the Owls’ National Girls and Women in Sports Day Celebration. Tickets for the game can be purchased here 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).
