BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Feb. 7, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (9-12, 3-7 C-USA) will head down South on I-95, as they play FIU (5-16, 2-8 C-USA) Saturday. The Conference USA matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with tipoff set for 2 p.m.
About the Owls:
- The Owls will look to break a three-game losing streak and win their first road game since Jan. 2 at UTSA
- FAU trails FIU 13-32 in the series, but the Owls have won six out of the last 10 meetings
- Crystal Primm leads the Owls with 14.9 points per game and is tied for a team’s most rebounds with 7.4 per game
- Lotta Vehka-Aho follows with 12.4 points per game and leads the team in assists (56) and steals (37)
- Juliette Gauthier is the third Owl averaging double digits in scoring with 11.4 points per game, while being tied with Primm for the most rebounds (7.4 RBG)
- Astou Gaye averages 9.2 points and 6.0 boards per game, while leading the Owls with 15 blocks
- Head coach Jim Jabir will look to earn his 500th career win on Saturday
Last Time Out:
- FAU fell on the road to Marshall, 85-75 following a rough second quarter, in which the Owls were outscored 26-10
- Despite the Owls putting up 26 points compared to the Herd’s 20 in the fourth quarter, FAU was unable to pull off the comeback
- Vehka-Aho led the Owls in scoring for the second consecutive game after posting 17 points, while Gaye finished the day with 16 points by shooting 4-3 from beyond the arc
- Gauthier logged her fifth double-double of the season after putting up 12 points and 11 rebounds
- Primm was the fourth Owl in double digits with 11 points and eight rebounds
- Glenisha Harkless played her second consecutive game with 5+ assists, tallying five on the day
Scouting FIU:
- FIU was picked to finish 14th in the C-USA Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches
- Jiselle Thomas is the Panthers’ leading scorer with 10.7 points per game. She also leads the way in steals with 28
- Chelsea Guimaraes crashes the boards with 7.3 rebounds per game along with 27 blocks on the season
- Bre’Osha Scott leads the Panthers in assists with 47
History Against the Panthers:
- The FAU vs. FIU rivalry goes back to 1985. The Panthers have a 13-32 advantage over the Owls
- FAU lost 21 of the first 22 games in the series, but has made a push as of late, winning six out of the last 10
- In the first of two games against the Panthers last season, the Owls won 77-55. Gauthier tallied her first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Amber Gaston was just shy of a double-double with 16 points and nine boards
- FAU fell short in the second game in Miami, 56-49. Gauthier recorded nine points and six rebounds, while Gaston pulled down 10 boards. Abby Voss captured six points and eight boards
Upcoming:
FAU will be back at home next Thursday at 7 p.m. to square off against Southern Miss. 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, visitwww.fau.edu.
