BOCA RATON, Fla.?Florida
Atlantic pulled away in the final minutes to defeat ULM 76-63 Wednesday night
in Sun Belt Conference play in FAU Arena.
The Owls led 57-56 with just
over seven minutes to play in the game, but went on a 15-6 run over the next
six minutes to escape with the victory. Florida Atlantic hit seven free throws
over the game's final minute to give the game a deceptive final margin.
Sannisha Williams led ULM
(11-8, 4-4 Sun Belt) with a career-high 21 points, while Jesse Carrier added 15
and Lottie Moore chipped in nine ? Moore also had six assists and four blocks
and Williams pulled down seven rebounds. The loss drops the Warhawks to 1-4 on
the road in Sun Belt play.
Carrier finished the game connecting
on three 3-point shots ? her second of the night was the 100th of
her career.
Brittany Bowe led the Owls
(7-11, 4-4) with 23 points, while Carla Stubbs netted 15 points, Teri Stamps
added 13 and Jessica Knurick had 10.
The Warhawks took a 48-44 lead
on a Sumar Leslie 3-pointer with 12:39 to play in the game, but the Owls
responded with a 13-6 run to take a 57-54 lead with just over eight minutes to
play in the game.
Florida Atlantic maintained
consistent shooting throughout the game connecting on 45.3 percent from the
floor for the game. However, the Warhawks went cold from the floor in the
second half hitting on just 28.6 percent of their shots following intermission.
Both teams came out of the
gate firing as they combined to connect on eight of the game's first 11 shot
attempts. The Warhawks held the advantage on the stat sheet at the half hitting
50.0 percent (13-of-26), while Florida Atlantic shot 46.9 percent
(15-of-32).
However, the Owls held the
advantage where it counted at intermission holding a slim 38-36 lead on the
scoreboard. FAU connected on 5-of-8 from beyond the 3-point line and pulled
down 10 offensive rebounds in the opening half.
The Warhawks opened the game
on a brief 5-0 run, but Florida Atlantic stormed back scoring nine of the game's
next 12 points to take a 9-8 lead at the 16:28 mark.
The Owls didn't relinquish the
lead for the remainder of the first half (there were four ties) and led by as
many as nine points ? 35-26 with 4:13 to play. However, the Warhawks ended the
half on a 10-3 run led by four of Williams' 12 first-half points.
The Warhawks return home on
Saturday to square off against Florida International (4-15, 2-6) at 4:30 p.m. in
the first game of a doubleheader with the ULM men.
