Friday, February 03, 2006

BOCA RATON, Fla. (February 3, 2006) - After suffering a tight four-point setback at Mercer last weekend, the Lady Bucs (12-6, 8-3 A-Sun) will look to rebound with a win at conference-leader Florida Atlantic.  The Owls, 9-2 in Atlantic Sun play, spoiled ETSU's perfect start to conference play earlier this season, upending the Lady Bucs in Johnson City, on Jan. 12, after ETSU had rallied to a 5-0 A-Sun start.  Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., Saturday in FAU Gymnasium. 

About the Game ...

Today's matchup has crucial implications for both teams, with FAU vying to sweep the season series and  retain its first-place standing in the A-Sun, and ETSU battling to return to the top of the league, after falling out of the number-one position with last weekend's loss at Mercer.  ETSU will also be looking revenge after the Owls took out the Lady Bucs, 79-71, on Jan. 12, in Johnson City, marking ETSU's first conference loss of the season, as well as its first home setback.  Since then, the Lady Bucs have dropped two of their last five games, while only managing consecutive wins on when occasion, when they earned back-to-back wins over Kennesaw State and Campbell.  The Owls, on the other hand, have been on fire, winning 5-of-6 games, including a road victory at Gardner-Webb, the same team that slipped past the Lady Bucs, 72-68, on Jan. 21.  FAU's only loss came against Belmont, which slammed the Owls, 71-50, in Boca Raton.  Belmont is also a solid contender in the A-Sun race, standing in second position at 8-2.  After the Belmont loss, the Owls have rattled off four-straight wins.   

Scouting the Owls ...

Shontavia Williams and Missy Glaser are currently leading the Owls in scoring, netting 14.4, and 10.8 points a game, respectively.  Both heated up against ETSU the first time around, with Glaser pouring in a team-high 19 points, closely followed by Williams with 18.  The Owls have won four in-a-row, with wins over Lipscomb, Campbell, Gardner-Webb, and Kennesaw State.  Fortunately for the Lady Bucs, FAU hasn't always been in top form on its home floor this season, coming into the game at 5-5 in FAU Gymnasium.

The Series ...

FAU lead the series 1-0 after downing the Lady Bucs, 79-71, on Jan. 12.  The loss was the first conference setback of the season for the Lady Bucs, who started the season at 5-0 in A-Sun play.