Gordon Shines in Owls’ Win Over FIU

Thursday, February 20

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 PM

Florida Atlantic

-1213, 68 CUSA

FIU

-520, 212 CUSA

FIUW

Fla. Atlantic

Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com

2/20/2020 10:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team (12-13, 6-8 C-USA) took down FIU (5-20, 2-12 C-USA) Thursday night, 54-42. FAU was led by Tanyia Gordon, who had a notable first career start, tallying 26 points in the Owls first sweep over FIU since 2016. The Owls also held the Panthers to just 42 points, the least amount FAU has given up in a conference game this season.

How It Was Decided

Gordon was on fire from the field all night long and got things started by putting up the Owls' first seven points in the game. Crystal Primm then converted on a 3-point play after driving to the basket for a layup and knocking down the free throw to give the Owls a 10-6 lead halfway through the first quarter. The Owls ended the frame on a 9-3 run, as the Owls cruised ahead in the quarter with a 19-9 lead. FAU forced nine turnovers in the quarter, with eight of those coming in under four minutes.

The freshman Gordon continued to heat it up on the floor, capitalizing on three straight FAU possessions. At the media timeout, the Owls were up 30-14 with 4:27 left in the half. Out of the media timeout, Glenisha Harkless banked a shot from beyond the arc to allow the Owls to go up by 21 points with less than three minutes to go in the quarter. FIU came within 13 points, but a Gordon 3-pointer gave the Owls a 38-22 advantage at the half.

FAU opened up the third quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 23 point lead, 45-22. The Owls held the Panthers to without a field goal until 45 seconds left in the quarter. Despite the Owls cooling down offensively in the second leg of the quarter, FAU took a 48-29 lead going into the final quarter of play.

The Owls got off to a slow start in the final quarter of the contest, as FAU did not score a point until 2:41 left, thanks to a Gordon layup. Astou Gaye put the icing on the cake with a 3-pointer and FAU cruised to a 54-42 victory despite only scoring 16 points in the second half.

Game Notes

Gordon had a highlight-reel of a game, logging a career-high 26 points on 11-23 shooting. The freshman added five rebounds and two steals, while playing a season-high 29 minutes
Primm put up 10 points, nine boards and a season-high five steals before fouling out
Harkless tallied six points and three boards
Amber Gaston captured a career-high three steals along with matching a season-high three blocks
FAU took advantage of FIU's 24 turnovers, logging 24 points off Panther mishaps
The Owls held the Panthers to 23 percent shooting from the field

With Coach Jabir

"I was proud that we were able to start scoring behind a remarkable effort by Tanyia Gordon and some great defense," said head coach Jim Jabir. "With all of the injuries and foul trouble, I was proud of our bench's efforts, but we must continue to improve."

Up Next

The Owls will finish out the homestand against WKU on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. with the game being broadcast on CUSA.TV. For tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or visit fausports.com.

Owls on Social Media

For complete coverage of FAU women's basketball, follow us on Twitter (@FAU_WBB), Instagram (@FAU_WBB) and Facebook (Florida Atlantic Women's Basketball).