Women’s Basketball Clipped by UTEP in C-USA Tournament Opening Round

Wednesday, March 11

Frisco, Texas

2:30 PM

Florida Atlantic

-1317,711 CUSA

UTEP

-1614,810 CUSA

Fla. Atlantic

UTEP

Women’s Basketball Clipped by UTEP in C-USA Tournament Opening Round

3/11/2020 6:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FRISCO, Texas – The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team (13-17, 7-11 C-USA) fell to UTEP (16-14, 8-10 C-USA) in the opening round of the 2020 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championships, 95-67. FAU was led by Crystal Primm, who played her final collegiate game dishing out 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

How It Was Decided

The Miners jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but a 5-0 run by the Owls capped off by a Nikola Ozola 3-pointer made it a two-point game. UTEP scored back-to-back 3-pointers to elevate their lead, but the Owls responded with free throws made by Juliette Gauthier and Crystal Primm to make it a 15-11 game. The Miners then closed out the quarter on a 21-5 run, while shooting 82.4 percent from the field in the quarter. UTEP took a 36-15 lead after one quarter of play.

Neither team scored in the second quarter until 2:14 chipped off the clock. The Owls held the Miners to no field goals in the final 5:38 in the half. FAU took advantage by going on an 11-4 scoring run, which was initiated by a Gauthier 3-pointer and capped off by a jumper from the sophomore. The Owls outscored the Miners 13-12 in the second quarter to trail UTEP at halftime, 48-28.

Allie Tylka got the third quarter started with a 3-pointer. The Owls cut the lead to 16 off a second-chance jumper made by Tanyia Gordon with five minutes remaining in the quarter, 53-37. UTEP then closed out the quarter on a 19-12 run to continue riding on their lead, 72-49.

Primm capitalized on the Owls' side of the floor with an "And 1" and converted the 3-point play. Gordon then got a 3-point play of her own and Astou Gaye knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a 76-58 game with 7:16 remaining. UTEP scored seven unanswered points to take a 25-point lead midway through the fourth. The Miners led by as many as 29 in the quarter, as the Owls ultimately fell, 95-67. With the loss, FAU is eliminated from the tournament.

Game Notes

Primm led all scorers with 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and a career-high three blocks. The graduate transfer tallied her ninth 20+ point game of the season and in her career. She ended her final season averaging 15.4 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 1.9 steals per game
Gordon followed with 11 points, three rebounds and three steals. The freshman logged her fifth double-digit scoring game
Gauthier was the third Owl in double digits with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals
Gaye was just shy of double digits with nine points, a game-high seven rebounds, as well as a block and steal
Eight out of the nine players on the court scored

Postgame interview

Jim Jabir:
On why UTEP gives the team troubles:
"Their pressure bothers us and we can't get into a rhythm offensively," said head coach Jim Jabir. "I thought the first time we played them, which was the second game of the conference season, that we were young and it was the second leg of the San Antonio-El Paso trip and I thought we were tired. But at the end of the day, they run really good stuff and we have a hard time adjusting to their style."

Primm:
On being a role model and player with her father, Coach Terry Primm in her final collegiate season:
"Like you said, I have always been the youngest, so flipping that role was something I had to adapt to, becoming more vocal," said Primm." Most of my life, I haven't really been a vocal person and I had to figure that out this year because that is what we needed. I really feel like this year helped me grow as a player and a person on and off the court and I'm forever grateful for Coach Jim for bringing me home and giving me an opportunity to end my collegiate career with my father. He started being my coach when I was just picking up the basketball, and to end my amateur career with him, that was really cool."

Up Next

The Owls will close out the 2019-20 season with a 13-17 (7-11 C-USA) record. FAU will lose just Primm, who played her final collegiate game Wednesday.

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