BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (1-0) opened up the Jennifer Sullivan era on a memorable note, as the team’s dominating 88-41 win over Palm Beach Atlantic marked her first win as a collegiate head coach. Looking to keep that momentum rolling, FAU will now host Bethune-Cookman (1-1) to close out the opening weekend of the 2021-22 collegiate basketball season.
ABOUT THE OWLS
- FAU women’s basketball opened up the Sullivan era on a memorable note, as head coach Sullivan earned her first win as a collegiate head coach
- The Owls are coming off a dominating performance over Palm Beach Atlantic, as the team elevated past the Sailfish in an 88-41 win
- Coach Sullivan became the sixth head coach of the program, bringing 16 years of coaching experience
- The team brings back 10 student-athletes from the 2020-21 squad, all of whom have seen time on a collegiate court. Sullivan brought in three newcomers in the summer
- After one game, Amber Gaston and Rita Pleskevich lead the way with 15 points, apiece
- Gaston also leads the way on the boards with 13 rebounds
- Bre Beck logs 8.0 assists per game after tallying a career high in dimes vs. PBA
- The Owls led Conference USA in field goal percentage defense (.186) & defensive rebounds per game (37.00)
- FAU was picked to finish 10th in C-USA, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. The team is coming off the 2020-21season having achieved an 11-11 (8-8 C-USA) record with eight conference wins being the most the Owls have achieved in C-USA
- The Owls also won its first C-USA Tournament game last season to play in the quarterfinals
LAST TIME OUT
- FAU put up a dominating 88-41 performance over Palm Beach Atlantic in its season opener
- Four Owls ended the game with double digits in scoring
- Gaston led the way to achieve her first career double-double (15 points and 13 rebounds with two blocks)
- Pleskevich also tallied 15 points while shooting 7-for-11 from the field
- Sofia Galeron came off the bench to log 11 points and eight rebounds, while Alexa Zaph put up 10 points
- Beck registered a career-high eight assists
- FAU shot 52.7 percent from the field while holding PBA to an 18.6 mark
SCOUTING B-CU
- B-CU has started out the season 1-1, defeating Edward Waters (70-58) and putting up a fight and great defensive effort in a loss at Miami (55-43)
- Janell Crayton, like Sullivan, is also a first-year head coach, earning her first win on Wednesday as well
- B-CU was picked to finish eighth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Wildcats opted out of the 2020-21 year, but finished the 2019-20 campaign 23-6 (15-1 in conference)
- Taylor Williams leads the team with 13.5 points per game and 2.5 assists per game
- Imani Reid pulls down a team-high 9 rebounds per game
HISTORY AGAINST THE WILDCATS
- FAU and Bethune-Cookman share a rich history in its all-time series, which dates back to 1984, the first year of the women’s basketball program in Boca Raton
- The Owls have a 20-5 advantage, while boasting a near perfect record at home at 11-1
- In the last meeting, FAU defeated Bethune-Cookman 82-60 at FAU Arena at the FAU Holiday Classic in 2015
UPCOMING
FAU will hit the road for the first time this season, heading down I-95 to face Miami on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. The Owls will return home for the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament, taking place from Nov. 26-27. Tickets for the game can be purchased here or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
OWLS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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