Owls Topped 73-60 at Middle Tennessee

Saturday, March 7

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

11:30 AM

Florida Atlantic

13-16, 7-11

Middle Tennessee

20-8, 14-4

Florida Atlantic

Middle Tennessee

3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

March 7, 2015

Final Stats

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - A second half slump by the Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team allowed Middle Tennessee to escape with a 73-60 victory in Conference USA action on Saturday.

The Owls (13-16, 7-11 C-USA) trailed by just two with 12:23 to play before missing their next ten shots from the field as the Blue Raiders (20-8, 14-4 C-USA) pulled ahead to a 17-point lead in the closing minutes.

Junior Ali Gorrell led FAU with her best conference game to date, scoring 25 points with eight rebounds. The guard started the contest 9-of-12 from the field and made three three-pointers. Gorrell crafted a stretch over the middle of the game where she scored 21 of FAU's 26 points.

FAU held an advantage for much of the first half, going up by seven on a Gorrell layup at the 7:43 mark before the Blue Raiders tied the contest at 25 with 4:12 left in the frame. The Owls then pieced together a 9-0 run, including seven points by Gorrell, before MT cut the lead to 34-30 going to the half.

Gorrell scored 12 of FAU's first 15 points of the second half, including a three-pointer with 12:23 left that cut the MT lead to two at 49-47, but the Owls would not make another field goal until the 2:56 mark. At that point, MT led 69-52.

After the Blue Raiders took the largest lead of the day on a layup by China Dow, FAU ended the contest on back-to-back three pointers by Malia Kency and Kat Wright to cut the final score to 73-60.

Wright tallied eight points, four rebounds and three assists in the game while freshman Sasha Cedeno also scored eight points.

FAU will travel to Birmingham, Ala. to take part in the Conference USA Championship tournament starting on Wednesday, March 11. Game times and pairings will be announced later Saturday night, pending results of other C-USA games.