Lyrell Barfield scores 19 points and forces six steals The Florida Atlantic womens basketball team erased a 15-point FIU lead with 4:17 remaining but fell to the Golden Panthers 77-75 in overtime on Saturday night at FAU Arena. We did a great job to battle back, said head coach Chancellor Dugan. We have to be tougher earlier in the game though, if we show up we are 7-4 right now. The Owls (10-11, 6-5) fell behind 11-1 with 15:40 remaining in the first half. The Owls finally connected on their first field goal of the game after Jessica Knurick made a layup at the 14:56 mark of the first half. FAU continued to struggle in the first half and trailed 32-17 with 2:29 remaining. However, a 10-0 run sparked by Lyrell Barfield and Andrea Taylor brought the Owls within five points at halftime. Both Barfield and Taylor knocked down a two-point and three-point field goal each to cut the halftime deficit to 32-27. The Golden Panthers (9-13, 4-7) started the second half on a 9-2 run and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the majority of the final period. However, with 4:17 remaining and the Owls trailing by 15, a Barfield three-pointer sparked a run that pulled the Owls all the way back to even at 67-67 after Teri Stamps knocked down two free-throws with 12 seconds remaining. Michelle Gonzalez dominated the overtime period and scored all 10 of FIUs points. The Owls had several chances to win the game on the final possession with four offensive rebounds and five shot attempts before the buzzer sounded. FAU will be back in action next Wednesday night as they start a two-game conference road trip against a pair of western division opponents. First up is a trip to Denton, TX to take on North Texas at the Super Pit. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. eastern. From there, the Owls will travel to Denver to take on the Pioneers at Magness Arena on Saturday afternoon. Both games can be heard live on www.fausports.com.
