Dec. 2, 2006

Final Stats

BOCA RATON, FL (December 2, 2006) -- Mistoria Brown and the Florida Atlantic University women's basketball team used a 43 - 32 rebounding edge to keep the game close, but Western Kentucky University made 26-of-30 free throws and held on for a 85-76 victory at FAU Arena on Saturday.

"We played hard enough to win but we have to play smarter next time," FAU Head Coach Chancellor Dugan said.

Brown led the Owls with 27 points and 9 rebounds, both team-highs. WKU's Crystal Kelly led all scorers with 28 points and the Lady Toppers had five players in double-figures.

Brown got the Owls going early, hitting a three-pointer 28 seconds in. The two teams went back and fourth, neither team taking a lead larger than four for much of the first 10 minutes.

Crystal Randolph would hit a three at 13:52 to bring FAU within one at 15-14, but a Kelly layup and two free throws by Tifany Zaragoza would stretch WKU's lead back to five, 19-14 with 13:06 left in the half.

A Carla Stubbs jumper would bring the Owls back within one at the 11:58 mark, 19-18, but two more Zargoza free throws would once again stretch the lead to three and would spark an 8-1 run for Western Kentucky.

Zargoza would finish the first half a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.

With the score 27-19 in favor of the Lady Toppers, the biggest lead either team would have during the first 20 minutes, FAU went on a 7-0 run of their own to once again pull within one, 27-26, aided by a pair of Brown jumpers, the second coming at the 7:05 mark.

The Owls would take their first lead since the 16:56 (7-6) when Stubbs grabbed an offensive rebound and made a layup for a 32-31 lead. WKU would respond with a 6-0 run to jump in front, 37-32 thanks to four points from Kelly.

Randolph responded with a run of her own, hitting back-to-back threes to bring FAU back within one, 39-38 with 1:46 left in the half. Brown would put the Owls back in front with a pair of free throws, 40-39, with 1:09 remaining in the first frame. Brown's jumper would bring the Owls back within one as the clock ran down on the first half, 43-42. She ended the frame with game-highs in points (16) and rebounds (five).

The Owls shot 44.7 percent from the floor in the opening frame while the Lady Toppers hit 47.1 percent of their shots. FAU held a huge edge in rebounding, 26-17, including 13 offensive rebounds. WKU was led by Kelly, Zargoza and Dominique Duck, who all finished the first-half with 10 points.

A Stubbs three would give FAU the lead, 47-45, 51 seconds into the second-half, and a Shuteamia Brayboy layup would stretch the lead to four. WKU would regain the lead on a three by Charlotte Marshall, but FAU would respond with a seven-point run to take a 57-50 lead, capped by a Sally N'Diaye jumper.

Western Kentucky would fight back to take a 63-62 lead following a pair of Kelly free throws with 10:51 left in the second-half. The free throws were part of a 16-2 run that saw the Lady Toppers grab a 68-62 lead with 9:51 left in the game.

The Owls would fight back within four on a layup by Andrea Taylor, but they would get no closer. The Lady Toppers (5-2, 1-0 SBC) would stretch their lead back to 9 with a 9-2 run, and FAU could only get as close as six the rest of the way following a three-point play by Brown with 56 seconds remaining.

WKU's Kelly was 12-for-13 from the line and Zaragoza finished 8-for-8. They went 11-for-13 in the game's final 10 minutes.

FAU (1-7, 0-1 SBC ) will take the week off from game action for final exams and return to the court on December 9 at Georgetown. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.