BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic women's basketball (12-14, 5-12 C-USA) will take on the UTEP Miners (18-8, 11-6 C-USA) in their regular season road finale on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at the Don Haskins Center.
FAU enters this weekend at 12-14 overall and 5-12 in Conference USA play and are currently on a five-game skid. The Owls are in their second season under head coach
Jennifer Sullivan, who has led the Owls to a 17-39 record over her pair of seasons in Boca Raton.
Freshman
Aniya Hubbard has led the Owls this season, while also ranking first among all C-USA freshmen and eighth in the conference in scoring with 13.9 points per game.
Joiya Maddox and
Janeta Rozentale round out the Owls top three scorers, with 9.7 and 8.6 points per game, respectively. Hubbard leads C-USA in steals, collecting 65 this season, averaging 2.5 per game, in addition to leading the team in assists, dishing out 2.5 per contest this season. Rozentale leads FAU on the glass, posting 6.0 rebounds per game and registering 18 blocked shots this season.
As a team, the Owls rank second in C-USA in rebounding margin (4.3), third in rebounds per game (38.9) and free throw attempts per game (20.7), fourth in scoring defense (66.7), steals per game (8.7), and fouls per game (17.6), and fifth in 3-point percentage defense (30.5), offensive rebounds per game (12.9), and free throws made per game (14.2).
UTEP carries an 18-8 overall record and an 11-6 league record into Saturday's contest. The Miners are just coming off an 83-79 win against FIU. UTEP is in its sixth season under head coach Kevin Baker, who has helped lead the Miners to a 91-81 record over his six seasons in El Paso.
The Miners have been paced by Jazion Jackson, who is averaging 12.3 points per game, and Elina Arike and N'Yah Boyd, registering 11.8 points per contest each, respectively, this season. Boyd is the Miners' assists leader, dishing out 3.5 per contest, while Jackson leads UTEP in steals, collecting 2.1 per contest. Adhel Tac leads the Miners in rebounds this season, averaging 6.5 boards per contest, and Elina Arike paces the team in blocks, tallying 14 blocks this season.
As a team, the Miners lead the conference in free throw attempts per game (21.1) and assists per game (14.0), while ranking second in scoring margin (5.7), assist/turnover ratio (1.0), turnovers per game (13.8), and fouls per game (17.2), third in winning percentage (.692), scoring defense (64.2), free throws made per game (14.7), and turnover margin (3.9), fourth in scoring offense (69.9), offensive rebounds per game (12.9), field goal percentage (.426), and turnovers forced per game (17.7), and fifth in 3-point percentage (.320).
UTEP leads the all-time series between the Owls and the Miners, 11-5. In El Paso, the Miners also hold a 5-2 advantage against FAU. Earlier this season, the Miners claimed a 79-78 overtime battle between the Owls and the Miners on Jan. 21.
FAU returns home next weekend for their final weekend of the regular season, beginning with the Rice Owls on Thursday, March 2 for a 7 p.m. tipoff inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
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