Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Women's Basketball Heads West for Two
11/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Boca Raton, Fla. -
What: Florida Atlantic (3-3) vs. Arizona (3-1)
When: Thursday, Dec. 1 - 9 p.m. ET
Where: Tucson, Arizona
Coverage: Watch Live, Listen Live, Live Stats
What: Florida Atlantic (3-4) vs. Grand Canyon University (3-4)
When: Sunday, Dec. 4 - 2 p.m. ET
Where: Phoenix, Arizona
Coverage: GCU.TV, Listen Live, Live Stats
An Owl's eye view of FAU:
As a team, the Owls (3-4) are shooting 40.8 percent from the floor and averaging 70.9 points per game, which is fourth in Conference USA. FAU continues to impress from beyond the arc averaging more than seven 3-pointers each game. The defense continues to improve as the Owls are tops in C-USA in defensive rebounds (29.6 avg/game) and fourth in rebounding offense averaging 42.9 boards per contest.
Last time out for the Owls: In their first of two games out west, FAU fell 77-67 to the University of Arizona (4-1) on Thursday evening despite Sasha Cedeno's career night of 24 points and 10 rebounds. In the fourth quarter, Arizona went on an 8-0 run from 6:57 until the 2:40 mark. They were able to hold off the Owls until Ra'Kyra Gabriel had the last points of the game to bring the score to 77-67 in favor of the Wildcats.
Whooo to watch: Cedeno saw her first double-double of the season against Arizona as she broke her career highs in both points (24) and rebounds (10) in just 26 minutes of play. She was 4-for-8 from downtown and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. The junior guard leads the team in points per game with 13.6 and is second in rebounds with 5.0.
Nika Zyryanova had the second-most points for the Owls with nine and added two assists versus the Wildcats. Freshman guard Julia Jenike also made an impact with seven points and tied her personal best with six assists along with three rebounds. Helping Cedeno on the boards was freshman forward O'Reilly with eight and Myers with seven. Myers also had six points as she shot 3-for-5 against Arizona. Redshirt junior Raven Doyle is currently the team's leading rebounder with 8.9 avg/game.
An Owl's eye view of Arizona:
The Wildcats have seen a solid start to their season going 3-1 with their one loss coming at home against C-USA member North Texas. The team is shooting 42.4 percent while holding opponents to 39.5 percent from the court. Arizona has outrebounded opponents 39.0 to 36.0 each contest and has a -0.2 turnover margin averaging 19.8/game.
Most recent outing for the Wildcats: JaLea Bennett scored 21 points to lead the Wildcats to a 77-65 win over Southern Utah last Saturday. Overall, the Wildcats shot 42.4 percent for the game and more than 50 percent in the second half, outscoring the Thunderbirds 43-26 in the second. The charity stripe was kind to Arizona as they were 21-of-24 for the game. Arizona's bench outscored Southern Utah's 41-13. The Wildcats also dominated points off turnovers as Arizona outscored the Thunderbirds 23-12 in that category by forcing 22 Southern Utah turnovers.
Whooo to Watch: Bennett's 21 points against Southern Utah was a new career-high for her as she shot 7-of-11 from the field and also chipped in three rebounds and two steals. The junior guard averages 10.3 points per game. LaBrittney Jones scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds versus Southern Utah. She is shooting 51.9 percent from the field and a team-best 45.5 percent from the perimeter while bringing down 18.5 points in each contest. The senior forward is also the Wildcats' leading rebounder with 9.5 per game.
An Owl's eye view of Grand Canyon:
The Lopes moved to 3-4 on the year, suffering their first loss at GCU Arena after falling to No. 13 Washington on Thursday. The team is being outshot by opponents 43.4-36.7 percent but beating them on the perimeter with a 33.5 3-point field goal percentage compared to 33.1 for those they face. GCU averages 6.9 steals and 16.1 assists during each contest but brings down just 34.6 boards compared to 42.3 for their challengers.
Most recent outing for the Lopes: Grand Canyon University (3-4) suffered its first home loss Thursday night at the hands of No.13 Washington (7-1) in a 101-66 finish. The Lopes had a strong outing to start the contest, shooting 42.4 percent from the field and secured five 3-pointers in the half. But, the Lopes lost momentum in the second as the Huskies athleticism and quickness became overpowering.
Whooo to Watch: Marina Laramie led GCU in scoring for the sixth time this season with 24 points going 10-for-21, and she also led with seven rebounds against Washington. The redshirt senior posted her second consecutive 20+ point outing and is averaging a team-high 19.1 points per contest. Redshirt junior gurard Jessica Gajweski netted 15 points good for second on the team, while Aniya Baker had a season-high seven assists versus the Huskies. Baker leads the team in assists with 30 to date while Gajewski is second in points per game with 13.0. GCU made 11 3-point field goals in the Washington contest, its second highest total of the year and second double digit performance in two contests. On the boards, the team is led by junior Zelor Massaquoi who brings down 8.7 each game followed by Laramie who averages 7.3 every contest.
Fans can listen to a free audio broadcast of both away games by visiting the FAU YouTube Channel HERE. Live in-game updates will also be available on Twitter by following @FAU_WBB.
