Free Throws Sink Trojans

Saturday, February 25

Boca Raton, Fla.

2:00 p.m.

Troy University

Florida Atlantic University

Photo by: Edward Fieder

2/25/2012 5:10:00 PM | Basketball (W)

Troy women's basketball fell to FAU 68-62 on the road on Saturday.

By: Ben Maxwell

Box Score

Boca Raton, Fla. – Troy women's basketball could not overcome a second half surge from FAU to give the Owls a 68-62 victory in the Trojans final regular season contest on Saturday.

“We are very pleased with our focus and effort this week,” head coach Michael Murphy said.

“We showed toughness and spirit and I am so grateful for their effort and attitude. We came into this week dealing with tough injuries and even though we lost to FIU on Thursday we battled back hard to really compete against FAU today. We had great balance in scoring but the difference was ultimately at the free throw line. Our kids showed great toughness and grit this week battling through adversity and I cannot say enough about their effort.”

Troy (2-25, 1-18 Sun Belt) out shot FAU (16-11, 11-5) by two shots from the field; three from behind the 3-point arc, however the Owls went 18-24 at the free throw line while the Trojans were held to only 5-5 on free throw shots.

The Trojans were led in scoring by Jasmine Pitts who came off of the bench to record her season high of 17 total points. Pitts shot 6-11 from the field; 4-8 from the 3-point line. A total of seven different Trojans went on to record three point shots.

The Trojan's defense continued to work just as hard as they held the Owl's leading scorer to only four total points. However, FAU's Teri Stamps went on to lead her team in scoring, recording 22 total points.

Troy kept the game within reach by not allowing FAU to build more than a seven point lead. Troy hit a 5-0 point run in the final two minutes in the first half giving the Trojans a 31-27 going into halftime.

Troy continued their lead through the second half up until the final nine minutes when the Owls fought their way back to tie the game at 51-51 with 8:21 remaining. FAU went on to maintain their lead for the final minutes to claim a final 68-62 victory.

“This year has been a real struggle for our kids,” Murphy said.

“They have had to battle through adversity due to injuries and setbacks but they have refused to quit and have continued to play hard. This season has really shown their character, their hart and their commitment to excellence. I am really grateful for that.”