BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (0-0) will kick off the 2020-21 season by hosting North Florida (0-0) on Monday night. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Abessinio Court at FAU Arena.
About the Owls
- Head coach Jim Jabir is approaching his fourth season at the helm with his 2020-21 team being made up of 13 returners and four newcomers
- Out of the 13 returners, four of those Owls were everyday starters during the 2019-20 season
- The Owls are coming off the 2019-20 season with a 13-17 record (7-11 Conference USA), having tied for eighth with Southern Miss and Marshall in the conference standings. FAU played as the 10th seed (following tiebreaker rules) at the conference tournament
- Eight out of 17 players are considered upperclassmen, which is quite the change from a season ago, where 15 of 17 Owls were underclassmen
- This year’s team is comprised of one redshirt freshman, eight sophomores, six juniors, one senior and one graduate student
- Lotta Vehka-Aho is the leading returner, finishing the season with 12.6 points per game and a team-leading 62 assists. The freshman was sidelined the final six games of the 2019-20 season due to injury
- The Owls are five home wins away from 300 on their home court
Owl Updates
- The Owls were picked to finish 10th in C-USA, as voted on by the league’s head coaches
- FAU returns 75 percent of its scoring productivity from a year ago, but loses C-USA All-Conference selection Crystal Primm, who led the Owls with 15.4 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game
- FAU welcomes four first-year members to the squad, two of which are eligible to play in the 2020-21 season. Iggy Allen is a graduate transfer from Miami and Bre Beck is a junior college transfer from Wabash Valley
- USF transfer Janeta Rozentale and Boise State transfer Sofia Galeron are now eligible for the 2020-21 season after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules
- Each player on the roster has seen time on a collegiate basketball court at some point in their career
Last Time Out
- The Owls fell to UTEP in the opening round of the C-USA Tournament, 95-67
- FAU got off to a slow start in the game, being outscored 36-15 in the first quarter, which was the big decider in the game
- Primm led the Owls with 24 points and 3 blocks
- Tanyia Gordon and Juliette Gauthier were also in double digits, scoring 11 and 10 points, a piece
- Astou Gaye led the Owls in rebounding with seven boards
Scouting UNF
- UNF was chosen to finish third in the Atlantic Sun, as voted on by the league’s head coaches
- The Ospreys are coming into Monday’s game 0-2 after loses at NC State (93-65) and Miami (81-39)
- The Ospreys finished the 2019-20 season with a 16-15 record (8-8 ASUN) and were the No. 5 seed going into the ASUN Tournament, where their season came to an end against top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast in a 73-57 loss
- Jazz Bond was crowned the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, as chosen by the league’s head coaches. Bond led the charge last season, averaging 13.6 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 87 blocks
- Marissa Mackins leads the Ospreys after the first two games, averaging 16.5 points per game, while going 9-15 from beyond the arc
- Tiffany Tolbert is the second leading scorer with 10.5 points per game and 4.0 assists per game
History Against the Ospreys
- Monday’s season home opener marks the eighth meeting between the two teams
- FAU has the edge in the series, 5-2
- The last two meetings have been taken into double overtime with FAU winning the most recent game, 83-75, on December 3, 2017
- FAU is 4-0 at home against the Ospreys
- The first matchup was played on Nov. 23, 1996 at home, which resulted in a 74-57 win for the Owls
Upcoming
FAU will head down I-95 south to face Miami on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
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).
