BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Jan. 22, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (8-9, 2-4 C-USA) is back at Abessinio Court at RoofClaim.com Arena this Thursday to take on Charlotte (11-5, 2-3 C-USA). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
About the Owls:
- The Owls are looking to get back into the win column after two road losses at Middle Tennessee and UAB
- FAU will seek its first win over Charlotte since the 2015 season, where the Owls captured a 71-68 feat at home
- Crystal Primm has a current double-double streak of three games and hopes to extend that, as she leads the Owls with 15.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game
- Lotta Vehka-Aho follows with 12.2 points per game and leads the team in assists (49) and has 27 steals, which is tied for the most on the team with Primm
- Juliette Gauthier is the leading rebounder (7.4 per game), while averaging 10.7 points per game
- Head coach Jim Jabir is in his third season at the helm with his 2019-20 Owls representing six different countries and seven states
Last Time Out:
- FAU dropped Saturday’s tilt at UAB, 92-73 with the Blazers shooting 55.9 percent from the field
- The Owls were outscored by the Blazers in each quarter except the fourth, where FAU put up 17 points to the Blazers’ 11
- Primm tallied her third consecutive double-double by putting up 30 points and matching a career-high 12 boards. The graduate student shot 83.3 percent from the field, while leading all scorers
- Gauthier followed with 12 points and five boards, while Astou Gaye put up 10 points and three boards
- The Owls outrebounded the Blazers, 36-33
Scouting Charlotte:
- Charlotte was picked to finish the year in sixth, as voted on by the league’s head coaches
- Jade Phillips is averaging a double-double with a team’s best 15.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, as well as a team-leading 20 steals
- Mariah Linney follows with 10.6 points per game and a team’s best 50 assists
History Against the 49ers:
- Thursday’s game will represent the eighth meeting between the two teams
- FAU and Charlotte faced off for the first time in 1988 at the Georgia State Tournament (L, 81-56) and did not meet again until 2014, the Owls’ first season in Conference USA
- The Owls beat the 49ers for the first time after two tries in 2015, which resulted in a 71-68 win at home. FAU has not won since that victory and has dropped the last four yearly meetings
- Last season, the Owls traveled to Charlotte and fell to the 49ers, 68-47 behind Amber Gaston’s 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Gauthier also put up seven points and seven assists in the game
Upcoming:
FAU finish out the homestand against Old Dominion on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 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).
– FAUSports.com –
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, visit www.fau.edu.
