FRISCO, Texas – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (5-25, 1-17 in Conference USA) dropped to FIU (15-15, 6-12 in C-USA) in the play-in game of the 2022 Heritage Landscape Supply Group C-USA Championship. FAU fell 68-60 despite being up by 12 points with 8:08 left in the third quarter. FAU was outscored 20-11 in the fourth, which showed to be the difference maker in the contest. Janeta Rozentale went off with her sixth double-double of the season following 14 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
1Q
Rita Pleskevich came up with a steal and took it all the way to the hoop to elevate the Owls ahead early, 4-3. Alexa Zaph then delivered her first basket of the ball game following a takeaway, as the Owls led 8-5 with 4:39 remaining in the quarter. FIU fell in a scoring drought for over three minutes and the Owls took advantage. Rozentale’s aggressive play to the basket allowed her to get the bucket and draw the foul, ending the first quarter with five points. A Zaph triple elevated the Owls ahead, 16-10, with 1:20 left in the frame. FIU responded with a basket with less than 15 seconds left in the first quarter, but Zaph charged all the way down the court with the driving layup and the foul to convert the three-point play. FAU took a 21-14 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
2Q
FIU began the second quarter 2-for-2 from field. Nikola Ozola delivered a floater of beauty for the Owls first points in the second quarter. The Owls had difficulties handling the ball with three early turnovers in the quarter, but the Panthers had trouble turning those mistakes into points. A Pleskevich turnaround jumper elevated the Owls ahead by seven, 27-20, at the media timeout. The Owls fell in a drought for nearly two minutes until Pleskevich and Rozentale made jumpers on back-to-back possessions. With 11 seconds left in the half, Zaph knocked down her second 3-pointer of the game to pull the Owls ahead by double digits, 38-27. On the Panthers’ final possession of the half, the team took advantage with a layup just before the buzzer. The Owls still took a 38-29 edge at the half.
3Q
FIU made first basket of second half, but the Owls answered on their next possession, as Pleskevich passed to Gaston for a layup. The Owls extended their lead back up to double digits following a Rozentale free throw and a wide open Pleskevich layup. FAU led 43-31 after 2:30 of play in the second half. FIU then went on an 8-0 run in just over a minute, forcing FAU to take a timeout. The Owls’ lead was cut to four points, 43-39, with 5:56 remaining in the quarter. Out of the timeout, FIU made another layup, while the Owls stayed in their scoring drought for over three minutes. Gaston lifted the Owls out of the drought with a hard-fought layup. FIU delivered a second-chance 3-pointer to cut the Owl lead to one, 49-48, going into the final quarter of play.
4Q
The Owls shot 1-for-17 from the field in the fourth quarter. FIU took the lead for the first time since the opening seconds of the game after a triple. The Owls trailed by six, 55-49, with 8:02 left in the game. FAU’s lone field goal in the fourth quarter came thanks to a Sofia Galeron 3-pointer with under 6:30 left in the contest. With 3:31 left in the game, the Owls initiated a 6-0 run with all six points coming from the free throw line. After two Pleskevich free throws, the Panther lead was cut to six with 1:38 remaining. The Owls were unable to convert from the field for the remainder of the game, dropping the game, 68-60.
GAME NOTES
- In her final collegiate game, Pleskevich led the Owls with 16 points off 7-for-15 shooting. She also added four assists and two steals
- Rozentale went off for 14 points and a career-high 18 rebounds along with four blocks and three steals across 35 minutes
- Zaph tallied 13 points and four rebounds
- Gaston registered eight points and five rebounds
- FAU had 15 points off turnovers
- The Owls matched a season-high seven blocks
UP NEXT
The Owls lose just two student-athletes, while returning eight from the 2021-22 roster. Coach Jennifer Sullivan also signed four Owls in November.
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