Women's Basketball Falls at East Division Champ Middle Tennessee

Saturday, February 18

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

4:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

14-11, 9-5SBC

Middle Tennessee

22-5, 14-0SBC

Florida Atlantic

Middle Tennessee

Women's Basketball Falls at East Division Champ Middle Tennessee

2/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Feb. 18, 2012

Final Stats

Murfreesboro, TN - The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team closed out its regular-season road schedule with a 65-41 loss at East Division champion Middle Tennessee State University in a Sun Belt Conference matchup on Saturday at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Owls now stand 9-5 in league action and remain in second place in the division heading into the final week of the season.

FAU (14-11) held a 9-8 lead at the 11:38 mark in the first half. That's the last time the Owls would be ahead as the Blue Raiders went on a 16-5 run over the next eight minutes to build a double-digit lead, 24-14, with 3:52 remaining.

"Middle Tennessee is a good team and we just didn't play like as well as necessary to win a road game in this competitive league. I was disappointed that we didn't come out and play like we had shown in practice over the past few days," said Chancellor Dugan, FAU's head women's basketball coach. "We are still 9-5 in league play and come down the stretch with a pair of important home games. We'll bounce back from this loss, get better and be ready for those two big games."

MTSU (22-5, 14-0 Sun Belt) had a 30-16 halftime lead. That's when the Owls held the Blue Raiders without a point until a three-point field goal by Kortni Jones at the 15:41 mark. FAU trailed 33-23 with 14:09 remaining after a free throw by senior forward Vontrice Dennis.

That was as close as the Owls would get in the second half.

Sophomore forward Chenise Miller led the offensive attack with 10 points, while sophomore guard Kimberly Smith chipped in nine points off the bench, including two 3-point shots.

MTSU's Jones scored a game-high 21 points. Icelyn Elie added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Ebony Rowe scored 13 points in the win.

FAU returns to the court on Wednesday, February 22, at 7 p.m. from the FAU Arena against the University of South Alabama in a showdown of two teams competing for second place in the East Division. That second-place finish would earn the team a first-round bye in the SBC postseason tournament. Live audio and statistics of the game can be found at www.fausports.com.

For tickets of the Owls' last two remaining home games next week, contact the FAU Ticket Office at 1-866-FAU-OWLS.