Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
1-0
Akron
0-1
Owls Dominate Akron 91-77 in Opener
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. â€" The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in its season opener in a convincing 91-77 victory over Akron on Friday. The Zips cut FAU's lead to four or fewer points 15 times in the game, but the Owls never wavered.
Senior Ali Gorrell posted 18 fourth-quarter points en route to a 26-point, nine-assist performance to lead the Owls (1-0). Fellow senior Morgan Robinson posted 18 points, one shy of her career high, while Sasha Cedeno (11) and Kat Wright (10) each reached double-digit scoring. Raven Doyle grabbed a career-high nine rebounds while Melinda Myers earned six.
Akron (0-1) saw impressive outings by Anita Brown with 27 points while Greta Burry and Ali Ball posted double-doubles.
Neither team was able to develop points early until Robinson hit back-to-back three-pointers to give FAU a first-quarter lead it would not relinquish. The Owls built a lead of 11-2 after Wright and Myers hit back-to-back baskets before the Zips scored their first field goal at the 5:49 mark.
Akron whittled the lead down to four early in the second quarter before FAU went on an 11-3 run to build up a 12-point lead, the largest of the half, with two minutes remaining. A late three-pointer cut the Owls' lead to 39-32 at the intermission.
The Zips pulled within one with 7:38 to play in the third, but the Owls continued to hold a lead. Sophomore Danneal Ford became the tenth Owl to score in the game as she hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the third quarter to put the lead back to six at 69-63.
Nine points off turnovers, along with Gorrell's outstanding efforts in the fourth, allowed FAU to capture the victory. Gorrell scored FAU's first 11 points of the quarter as the Owls closed the game with ten consecutive points from the free throw line while holding Akron to just four points over the final 5:33.
The Owls go on the road to take on FGCU on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on ESPN3 and can be heard on FAUSports.com.
