Latavia Dempsey has Career Game as FAU Women’s Defeats Rice

Latavia Dempsey has Career Game as FAU Women’s Defeats Rice

Florida Atlantic University senior Latavia Dempsey shot a phenomenal six 3-pointers in the first half to push the FAU women’s basketball team to a 97-69 win over Conference USA rival Rice on Saturday.

FAU (11-4, 1-1 C-USA) tied a school record with 14 made 3-pointers in the game and shot 11-of-15 from beyond the arc in the first half. Coming into the contest, Rice (8-7, 1-1 C-USA) led the conference in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 25.9% beyond the arc.

Dempsey ended the night with a career-high 28 points and an FAU Arena record seven 3-pointers. The senior shot 9-of-11 from the field in the first half and scored 18 points before missing a shot. Her performance is the best for an FAU player this season and the best since Breana Turner scored 32 points against Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 30, 2013.

FAU held a 66-28 advantage at the half in the first meeting between the two programs. Senior Shanequa Schrouder turned in her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds, leading FAU to a rebounding advantage of 34-32 over Rice (5-7, 1-1 C-USA).

Kimberly Smith had another solid outing, scoring 15 points while grabbing six boards and dishing out four assists. Freshman Shaneese Bailey posted 11 points and six rebounds while fellow freshman Kat Wright also scored 11.