BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Feb. 15, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (11-13, 5-8 C-USA) earned a huge Conference USA win over Louisiana Tech (12-12, 4-9 C-USA) on Saturday, 77-75. Juliette Gauthier tallied the go-ahead bucket with five seconds left in the game and with one last chance for LA Tech, Crystal Primm came up with a huge block as time expired. FAU shot a season-high 52.8 percent in the win.
How It Was Decided:
LA Tech jumped out in front with a 5-0 lead, but the Owls got rolling on a 7-0 run courtesy of Primm with the Owls first seven points in the game. The Owls finished out the frame on a 6-3 run, as the Owls won the first quarter, 13-9, while holding the Lady Techsters to 21.4 percent shooting from the field.
The Lady Techsters creeped up within one point of the Owls with three minutes into the second quarter, but Lotta Vehka-Aho sunk a three-pointer to pull the Owls ahead, 19-15. The Owls then capitalized on four straight offensive possessions with Tanyia Gordon putting in back-to-back jumpers and Vehka-Aho scoring a jumper to give the Owls a nine-point lead. LA Tech ended the final half of the quarter on a 14-7 run, but FAU held onto a 34-31 lead going into halftime.
FAU took a six-point lead with 7:39 left in the game courtesy of a Vehka-Aho three-pointer. The Lady Techsters were able to tie the game for the second time in the contest halfway through the third, but Gordon splashed a big shot from beyond the arc, as the Owls regained the lead. The Owls would continue to capitalize on more offensive possessions in the frame, scoring a season-high 30 points, while shooting a season-high 76.9 percent in the quarter. The Owls went into the final frame with a seven-point advantage, 64-57.
LA Tech scored four straight points to creep up within three points, but an Astou Gaye three-pointer put the Owls back ahead by six. With 5:44 remaining in the game, LA Tech tied it at 67, a piece. The Owls would go up by four points with 1:17 left courtesy of a Primm jumper, but the Lady Techsters tied the game for the fifth time with less than a minute to go. On the other end of the court, Primm was fouled and put in both baskets, as the Owls pulled up within two. LA Tech’s Amber Dixon then put in a layup on the other end to tie the game with 21 seconds left. With the Owls inbounding on their own baseline, Gauthier came up with the go-ahead layup with five seconds remaining. LA Tech had a chance to tie or pull ahead, but a huge block by Primm on a Dixon shot ended the game, 77-75.
Game Notes:
- FAU shot a season-high 52.8 percent from the field
- Primm led all scorers with 23 points along with seven rebounds. The guard tallied her third straight game with 20+ points
- Vehka-Aho followed with 22 points to capture her fourth 20+ point game. The freshman also added two assists and steals, a piece
- Gaye was just shy of a double-double with 16 points and a game-leading nine rebounds. She also tallied a block, marking her third straight game with at least one swat
- Gordon came up with a huge game with 10 points and a career-high six rebounds. The freshman also logged a block and a steal
- Gauthier, who came up with the go-ahead bucket, tallied five points and four boards
- The Owls went 10-10 from the charity strike in the second half
- Four Owls scored double digits, marking the seventh time this season the Owls have seen 4+ players in double digits
With Coach Jabir:
“It was a big conference win because we jumped ahead of LA Tech,” said head coach Jim Jabir. “I’m proud of the grit and intensity we played with, which has been lacking in other games. We had a lot of contributions from different people, which I’m really proud of. Crystal’s [Primm] block at the end of the game is the epitome of what I think we need to continue to evolve into. We have to keep grinding, scoring the ball at the clip we did today and believing that we can win games.”
Up Next:
The Owls will return back to Abessinio Court on Thursday to face rival FIU as part of the Alumni Game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with the game being broadcast onCUSA.TV. 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 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi 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, visitwww.fau.edu.
