BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Nov. 19, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (2-2) pulled out a huge win in their home opener over Siena (1-4) Tuesday night. The 44-point feat is the largest margin of victory in the Jim Jabir era.
How It Was Decided:
FAU got off to a hot start, as the score was 22-0 with 4:13 left in the first quarter. Astou Gaye scored five points in less than a minute off a 3-pointer and an easy layup. Juliette Gauthier would then heat up, hitting back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in one minute and 29 seconds. Crystal Primm would top it off with a nice drive to the basket, while getting fouled in the process to add another three points. With a 26-4 score, business was booming for the Owls at Abessinio Court at FAU Arena.
Gauthier came up with the first points in the second quarter off a layup and following a Sienna turnover, Allie Tylka came up with the ball to score her first collegiate points. Tylka would later capitalize on a 3-pointer. Several freshmen lit it up in the second quarter including Alexa Zaph who hit a deep 3-pointer to put the Owls up 46-12 with 3:14 left in the half. The Owls would go into a locker room with a 54-17 lead.
Gaye opened up the half for the Owls with her second 3-pointer of the night. The Owls would then fall into a scoring drought for over six minutes, but Lotta Vehka-Aho broke it with a nice layup as time on the shot clock expired. FAU would go on an 8-0 run to end the quarter, and the Owls still led big, 65-36.
The Owls held the Saints scoreless for over half the fourth quarter, as they went on a 7-0 run. FAU would hold the Saints to just three points, making a new record for least amount of points scored by an opponent in a quarter. Nikola Ozola sealed the deal for the Owls with their 11th 3-pointer in the game, as the Owls won big, 83-39.
Game Notes:
- The Owls shot 55.3 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from the 3-point line in the first half. FAU would go on to shoot 47.6 percent from the field and 47.8 from beyond their arc, their best numbers this season
- Gauthier had nothing short of a career night. The sophomore matched a career-high in points (24), as well as set a new career-high in 3-pointers with six, which is the fifth most in school history, and rebounds with 12. She led both sides in each of the three statistical categories
- Vehka-Aho tallied 10 points, six boards, five assists and a steal
- Abby Voss was the third Owl in double digits, as she put up 10 points, pulled down three boards and tallied three assists
- Primm recorded nine points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals to make for a productive night
- Gaye tallied eight points, two of which came from beyond the arc, in just 10 minutes
- Freshmen Zaph and Tylka both tallied seven points on the night. Zaph added to her stat line with five boards and six assists
- Gaye and Ozola made their first career starts
- FAU’s 11 3-pointers marks a new season-high
With Coach Jabir:
“It was a very nice win for a program that is very hungry for W’s,” said head coach Jim Jabir. “We have a long way to go to get to where we want to be. I appreciate the fans who came out to support us.”
Up Next:
FAU will finish out their roadstand on Thursday to face Little Rock 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.
