Feb. 27, 2003

Final Stats

TROY, AL -- Shontavia Williams scored a game-high 17 points and Florida Atlantic University went 21-for-22 from the foul line on its way to a 72-65 victory over Troy State University, Thursday night, in Troy, AL. The win improves FAU to 12-12 overall and 10-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

FAU trailed 49-43 with 9:25 left in the game before Williams began to take control. The freshman scored FAU's next six points as the Lady Owls outscored the Lady Trojans 6-2 to pull to within 49-47 with 8:31 to play. In all, Williams scored 14 second half points.

A three-pointer by Janka Deckerova gave FAU a 54-53 lead with 5:57 left, and a pair of free throws by DeeAnna Hanscom a minute later gave increased the lead to 56-53.

Troy State (15-10, 10-4 A-Sun) responded with four straight points to reclaim the lead before FAU took the lead for good on two Deckerova free throws at the 3:16 mark. Trineca McCleod followed with two consecutive layups to give FAU a 62-57 lead with 1:13 left. The Lady Owls would preserve the victory from the line, scoring their last 10 points from the stripe. Williams went 8-for-9 from the line as FAU went 21-for-22 for the game. Sixteen of FAU's final 23 points came from the foul line.

"I was so proud of our team tonight," said FAU head coach Chancellor Dugan. "They did such a great job executing down the stretch. This is a big win for us, to come in here and win in such a tough environment.

FAU struggled early in the game, falling behind 18-9 with 12:00 left in the half. Trailing 30-22 at the 2:23 mark, the Lady Owls exploded for an 11-2 run to close the half leading 33-32 at the break.

Tamica Pierce scored 16 points for FAU while hauling in a team-high nine rebounds. McCleod scored eight of her 10 points in the second half. Deckerova finished with seven points while Angie Rodgers and Sharia Young connected on two three-pointers for six points each.

TSU was led by Constance Kelly, who scored 16 points off the bench. Kerri Fiehrer and Chaquita Alexander each had 14.

The win vaults FAU over TSU into second place in the A-Sun South. The Lady Owls are a game behind leader UCF, which defeated Mercer Thursday night. The game was the third straight played by FAU without its second-leading scorer Crystal Boyland. The senior injured her knee against Campbell on February 13 and has not played since.

Florida Atlantic next takes on Mercer Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm in Macon, GA.