BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Jan. 3, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (7-5, 1-0 C-USA) will finish out their roadstand in the Lone Star State with a Saturday afternoon tilt against UTEP. FAU is looking to kick off Conference USA play and 2020 with a 2-0 record. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. Eastern at the Don Haskins Center.
About the Owls:
The Owls are coming off Thursday’s C-USA opener with momentum after rolling past UTSA, 80-53. FAU is looking to achieve back-to-back road victories for the first time since 2013 and a 2-0 conference play start for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Crystal Primm continues to lead the Owls in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds per game and a team’s best 21 steals. Lotta Vehka-Aho follows with 11.3 points per game, while leading the team in assists (39). Juliette Gauthier is the leading rebounder (7.9 per game), while averaging 10.9 points per game. Head coach Jim Jabir is in his third season at the helm and achieved his 25th FAU win Thursday. Jabir is just three wins away from his 500th career win.
Last Time Out:
FAU opened up C-USA play in dominating fashion with a 27-point victory over UTSA, 80-53. The Owls outscored the Roadrunners in each quarter of play, but especially lit up the floor in the second quarter by outscoring UTSA, 27-19. The Owls produced a balance effort all around to capture the win, as seven of the eight Owls who played more than nine minutes in the contest scored a basket.
Four Owls reached double digits in scoring, marking the third time this season FAU has seen 4+ players score double digits. Astou Gaye led the Owls with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Primm followed with 13 points, three boards and a season-high four assists. Gauthier tallied her fourth career double-double, third on the season, on Thursday evening. The sophomore tallied 12 points, 12 rebounds (seven of those offensive) and matched a season-high four assists. Vehka-Aho continued to bring the fire with 11 points, four boards and two assists. The Owls’ bench scored 30 points with Alexa Zaph being 2-3 from the field with eight points. Abby Voss and Glenisha Harkless both had seven points and Amber Gaston pulled down five boards.
Scouting UTEP:
The Miners are a much improved team with an 8-4 record compared to standing at 3-9 around this point last year. UTEP finished 9-22 (5-11 C-USA) last season and were projected to finish 12th in the 2019-20 C-USA Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Similar to the Owls, the Miners are coming into Saturday’s tilt with a lot of energy. The Miners opened up C-USA play with a dominating 64-34 victory over FIU, marking the fewest points allowed in a conference game in program history.
Senior Katarina Zec leads the Miners with 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Katia Gallegos follows with 8.8 points per game and a team’s best 49 assists and 20 steals. Ariona Gill is averaging a near double-double with 8.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The Miners have the second best scoring margin in the conference, outscoring opponents by an average of 10.8 points.
History Against the Miners:
The Owls will play the Miners for the 10th time in program history on Saturday. FAU currently holds a 3-6 record in the matchup with the Owls’ last win over the squad coming on Jan. 7, 2018 in a 72-66 feat. In last season’s meeting, the Owls fell at home, 70-44. Gauthier scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds. Gaston tallied five boards and Voss came off the bench with four points and six rebounds.
Upcoming:
FAU will be back at Abessinio Court at RoofClaim.com arena next Thursday to face Rice at 7 p.m. For tickets, call 1-866-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.
