Home Stretch Continues, Owls Face Middle Tennessee

Thursday, January 13

Boca Raton, Fla.

6 PM

Florida Atlantic

Middle Tennessee

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1/12/2022 9:43:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team (4-8, 0-1 in Conference USA) will look to bounce back from Saturday's C-USA opening loss, as the Owls face Middle Tennessee (11-3, 3-1 in C-USA) on Thursday. Tipoff against the Lady Raiders is set for 6 p.m. at Abessinio Court at FAU Arena. The Owls are looking to break a 21-game losing streak against the Lady Raiders and take down MT for the first time since 2009.

About the Owls

FAU women's basketball is under a new direction with first-year head coach Jennifer Sullivan, who is a 16-year coaching veteran and the sixth head coach in program history
The Owls opened up C-USA play last week at home against Marshall. FAU played three solid quarters, but a 31-point fourth quarter by Marshall elevated the Herd past the Owls, 66-51
Looking to comeback from Saturday's loss, the Owls will host MT, marking the first of two home matchups this week
FAU brings back nine student-athletes from the 2020-21 team, all of whom have seen time on a college court
Amber Gaston leads the Owls with 13.8 points per game and a .554 field goal percentage, which is the 37th best in the NCAA
Janeta Rozentale has a team's most 9.0 rebounds per game
Kynadi Kuykendoll leads the way with 3.0 assists per game (36 total)
FAU has four Owls averaging double digits in scoring (Gaston, Alexa Zaph, Rozentale and Rita Pleskevich)
The Owls stand second in C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage (.332), third in free throw percentage (.739) and fourth in rebounding defense (35.7)

Last Time Out

FAU fell to Marshall 66-51 in the Owls' C-USA opening game
The Owls held a 38-35 lead going into the fourth quarter, but a 31-point fourth quarter explosion by the Herd downed the Owls
Sofia Galeron led the way with her second straight double-double, logging 10 points and 10 rebounds
Gaston also scored 10 points, while adding six boards
Pleskevich was just shy of double digits with nine points, while Rozentale registered eight points, seven boards and three steals

Scouting Middle Tennessee

The reigning C-USA Champions were in a three-way tie for third in the C-USA Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The team also received two first-place votes
Middle Tennessee has opened up the season 11-3, winning four out of the last five contests with a 3-1 C-USA mark
Dor Saar leads the Lady Raiders with 13.6 points per game along with a team-high 42 assists (3.0 APG)
Courtney Whitson pulls down a team's most 7.0 rebounds per game, while also playing a league-high 37.9 minutes per game
Kseniya Malashka has a team's most 18 blocks and Alexis Whittington has the most steals (35)

Series History

Middle Tennessee holds a huge advantage over FAU in the series, leading 27-1
The Owls are on a 21-game losing streak to the Lady Raiders, dating back to Feb. 21, 2009
FAU's lone win over the Lady Raiders came on Feb. 21, 2009 as Sun Belt opponents. The Owls won 73-70 at home
Over the past two seasons, the Owls have come close to breaking their losing skid, leading the way midway or late in the last three games
Both teams faced each other twice in Murfreesboro, Tennessee last season as part of the back-to-back series in C-USA play
In last year's first game (1/1/21), FAU lost 84-65 despite having a 37-34 halftime lead
On the Jan. 2, 2021 game, the Owls fell in heartbreaking fashion on a go-ahead basket despite leading by 10 points with under five minutes to play in the game. Pleskevich led the way with a career-high 18 points and eight boards. Zaph added 10 points and Galeron contributed eight points off the bench

An Owl Win Means

The Owls will snap a three-game losing streak
FAU will beat Middle Tennessee for the first time since Feb. 21, 2009 (nearly 13 years)
The Owls will break a 21-game losing streak to MT
Sullivan will earn her first C-USA win as a head coach

Sullivan's Statements

"We always have a game plan for anyone we play, but it will just come down to finishing ball games," said Sullivan. "It's not so much about Middle Tennessee and UAB or who we have next. It's about us getting in the moment for four quarters. Can we step up and make big plays when we need to and make big stops when we need it? That's the game experience we need to continue to get and learn on the fly."

Upcoming

The Owls will finish out the homestand against UAB on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased here or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.

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