BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team (9-12, 3-7 C-USA) will head down South on I-95, as they play FIU (5-16, 2-8 C-USA) Saturday. The Conference USA matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with tipoff set for 2 p.m.
About the Owls
The Owls will look to break a three-game losing streak and win their first road game since Jan. 2 at UTSA
FAU trails FIU 13-32 in the series, but the Owls have won six out of the last 10 meetings
Crystal Primm leads the Owls with 14.9 points per game and is tied for a team's most rebounds with 7.4 per game
Lotta Vehka-Aho follows with 12.4 points per game and leads the team in assists (56) and steals (37)
Juliette Gauthier is the third Owl averaging double digits in scoring with 11.4 points per game, while being tied with Primm for the most rebounds (7.4 RBG)
Astou Gaye averages 9.2 points and 6.0 boards per game, while leading the Owls with 15 blocks
Head coach Jim Jabir will look to earn his 500th career win on Saturday
Last Time Out
FAU fell on the road to Marshall, 85-75 following a rough second quarter, in which the Owls were outscored 26-10
Despite the Owls putting up 26 points compared to the Herd's 20 in the fourth quarter, FAU was unable to pull off the comeback
Vehka-Aho led the Owls in scoring for the second consecutive game after posting 17 points, while Gaye finished the day with 16 points by shooting 4-3 from beyond the arc
Gauthier logged her fifth double-double of the season after putting up 12 points and 11 rebounds
Primm was the fourth Owl in double digits with 11 points and eight rebounds
Glenisha Harkless played her second consecutive game with 5+ assists, tallying five on the day
Scouting FIU
FIU was picked to finish 14th in the C-USA Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches
Jiselle Thomas is the Panthers' leading scorer with 10.7 points per game. She also leads the way in steals with 28
Chelsea Guimaraes crashes the boards with 7.3 rebounds per game along with 27 blocks on the season
Bre'Osha Scott leads the Panthers in assists with 47
History Against the Panthers
The FAU vs. FIU rivalry goes back to 1985. The Panthers have a 13-32 advantage over the Owls
FAU lost 21 of the first 22 games in the series, but has made a push as of late, winning six out of the last 10
In the first of two games against the Panthers last season, the Owls won 77-55. Gauthier tallied her first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Amber Gaston was just shy of a double-double with 16 points and nine boards
FAU fell short in the second game in Miami, 56-49. Gauthier recorded nine points and six rebounds, while Gaston pulled down 10 boards. Abby Voss captured six points and eight boards
Fast Facts
Upcoming
FAU will be back at home next Thursday at 7 p.m. to square off against Southern Miss. For tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or visit fausports.com.