Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
8-8, 3-2
Middle Tennessee
14-5, 6-0
Women's Basketball Falls to First Place Middle Tennessee
1/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2012
Boca Raton, FL - The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team suffered its first Sun Belt Conference home loss to Middle Tennessee State University 55-38 on Saturday at the FAU Arena in Boca Raton.
The Owls fall to 8-8 on the season and 3-2 in conference action. The team returns to the court on Thursday, January 19, at 6:15 p.m. when it travels to Troy University. The visiting Blue Raiders improved to 14-5 and remained perfect at 6-0 in SBC play. The victory was their eighth straight, a streak that included a victory over sixth-ranked University of Kentucky.
Both teams battled back and forth in the first half with six lead changes and five ties. FAU took a 10-7 lead at the 12:35 mark of the opening half after a three-point field goal by sophomore guard Latavia Dempsey. The Owls took an 18-17 advantage with six minutes remaining in the half on a layup by senior forward April Goins.
However, Middle Tennessee scored seven of the last nine points of the first half to take a 26-20 lead into intermission.
The Blue Raiders continued the momentum building a 14-point lead at 36-22 with 16:13 remaining. FAU got within 10 points on a couple of occasions in the second half. A layup by senior guard Teri Stamps cut the deficit to 40-30 at the 11:42 mark. Goins added a jumper midway through the second half to bring the Owls within 10 points at 42-32.
Goins paced the FAU offensive attack with 10 points. Sophomore post player Chenise Miller added eight points.
The Owls out-rebounded the Blue Raiders by a 31-24 margin, led by senior guard DaLita Scott's seven rebounds.
MTSU placed three players in double figures led by Ebony Rowe and Kortni Jones' 14 points each. Icelyn Elie chipped in 12 points.
Live audio and statistics of Thursday's game can be found at www.fausports.com. For season and single-game tickets contact the FAU Ticket Office at 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
