The Lady Owls looked as if they were bound for a repeat of last year’s upset of perennial Sun Belt powerhouse Middle Tennessee State in their regular season finale at FAU Arena on Saturday, Feb. 27. But future WNBA star Alicia Taylor and the Blue Raiders proved to be too much in an 88-71 victory over the Owls.
The Owls claimed a nine-point lead early into the first half, as sophomore guard Terri Stamps led the way with eight points in the game’s first six minutes.
The Owls could only fight through Middle Tennessee’s tough full court pressure defense for so long, though. FAU’s lead lasted only until Taylor hit a three with 7:06 in the half, giving the visitors a 23-22 lead that would turn out to be permanent.
“I thought we started out very well, but turnovers killed us,” said head coach Chancellor Dugan.
The Blue Raiders scored 27 points off turnovers.
Three pointers also proved to be too much for the Owls, as the Blue Raiders shot just under 50 percent from beyond the arc.
The Owls began the second half with back-to-back threes by Teri Stamps and junior guard Lyrell Barfield, but the Blue Raiders answered with a stretch where they outscored the Owls 24-9, which found FAU trailing 65-47.
The Owls would use three consecutive threes to pull within ten with about 6 minutes left, bringing the score to 76-66. However, more turnovers by the Owls and big three pointers and free throws by the Blue Raiders crushed any hopes of a comeback.
“They drilled easy shots, and we had mental breakdowns that we just could not get past,” said senior guard Brittany Bowe, who was playing in her last game at the Burrow.
Despite the loss, Bowe and Dugan are heading into the conference tournament with their heads high.
“Everybody’s [record is] 0-0 going into the tournament,” said Dugan. “I’ve seen so many bright spots from so many players [in the last few games]. I have so many bright spots I can go with.”
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