Saturday, March 11, 2006

DOTHAN, Ala. – Second-seeded Florida Atlantic claimed their first Atlantic Sun Tournament title with a 74-63 victory over No. 4 Gardner-Webb at the Dothan Civic Center.

The Owls will also make their first appearance at the NCAA Championship and will find out their opponent in Monday’s selection show.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Shontavia Williams poured in 26 points, her third straight tournament game with 20+ points to lead the Owls.

The championship game featured six lead changes and four ties in the opening 13 minutes of the game. Jessica Bryant hit 1-of-2 foul shots to tie the game at 18-18 with 7:23 remaining in the contest. However, the Owls answered with a 14-4 run capped by Sharia Young’s three-pointer to gain a 10-point advantage.

Gardner-Webb’s comeback was short-circuited by a frigid stretch of shooting. After Candyse Kelly drained a three-pointer with 2:34 left in the first half, the Bulldogs could not manage another field goal until Sequenta Blackman hit a jumper with 14:02 remaining to end an 0-for-8 drought. FAU led the entire second half on their way to capturing the tournament crown.

Williams averaged 24.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game to dominate the championship. All-Tournament selection Amanda Bulin nearly recorded a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds despite not scoring in the first half. Shameka Smith paced the Bulldogs with her third straight double-double posting 19 points and 16 rebounds for Gardner-Webb who was making their first tournament appearances.

The Owls end their A-Sun tenure with the team’s first tourney title in three attempts.

All-Tournament Team
*Shontavia Williams, FAU
Amanda Bulin, FAU
Missy Glaser, FAU
Shameka Smith, GWU
Sequenta Blackman, GWU
Alysha Clark, Belmont

* - Tournament MVP

General Notes
• Florida Atlantic wins first Atlantic Sun Championship in their final season in the league.
• The #2 seed has now won six Atlantic Sun Championships.
• The #4 seed now falls to 18-20 in tournament action.
• Florida Atlantic made 10 three-point baskets while holding Gardner-Webb to just 4-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc.
• The game featured 0 combined fast-break points.
• Florida Atlantic held a 46 to 39 advantage on the glass.

Gardner-Webb Notes
• Shameka Smith recorded her third consecutive double-double of the tournament and her ninth total of the season.
• Gardner-Webb was making their first finals appearance in their first Atlantic Sun tournament.
• Gardner-Webb fell one win shy of matching a season long winning streak of four games.

Florida Atlantic Notes
• Tournament MVP Shontavia Williams scored 26 points in the Championship game, matching a season-high and was also the top individual total in this year’s tournament.
• For the game, Florida Atlantic was 10-of-17 on three-point field goals, including 5-of-7 in the second half.
• Amanda Bulin finished the game with 12 points after being held scoreless in the first half and also finished one rebound shy of a double-double.
• Ten0 different Florida Atlantic players scored in the contest, while the Owls held an 23 to 12 advantage in bench points.