Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
South Alabama
FAU Upends South Alabama 62-55
1/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2010
MOBILE, AL - Lyrell Barfield led all scorers with 16 points and a spirited FAU defensive effort helped hand South Alabama their first home conference loss of the season, beating the Jaguars 62-55 on Wednesday night at the Mitchell Center.
The Owls (10-10, 6-4) controlled the pace of play the entire night and held Shakira Nettles to just two points on 1-of-12 shooting. Nettles torched FAU for 25 points in the Jaguars 68-58 victory over the Owls earlier this month.
"We had a few breakdowns defensively, but for the most part we did a great job defending who we wanted to," said head coach Chancellor Dugan.
Barfield continued her hot play going 6-of-10 from the floor including 4-of-6 from three-point range. The junior entered the game ranked 3rd in the Sun Belt Conference in three-point field goals per game (1.9).
The Jaguars (12-9, 7-3) have now dropped three straight Sun Belt games after starting out a 7-0 in conference play.
Both teams traded baskets and the lead in the early going until the six minute mark in the first half. With the Owls on top 22-18, FAU streaked out on a 9-0 run to take a 31-18 lead with 3:59 remaining. After the final media timeout of the stanza, South Alabama answered with a 9-0 run of their own and FAU took a 31-27 lead into halftime.
The Owls sprinted out of the gates in the second half, extending the lead to 47-34 with 11:52 remaining after Teri Stamps knocked down her second three-pointer of the game. Barfield continued to pile onto the lead as her fourth three-pointer of the game with 6:52 remaining gave the Owls their largest advantage at 54-38.
South Alabama got as close as 60-55 after two Owl turnovers, but the Owls tacked on two Carla Stubbs free throws for the final margin.
Stubbs had another solid all-around performance for FAU as the senior collected a career-high 13 rebounds, scored eight points and recorded a game-high four assists.
The Owls will head back to Boca Raton on Thursday to prepare for a Saturday evening matchup against in-state rival FIU. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at FAU Arena.
