BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic women’s basketball (5-1) rallied from a first-half deficit to earn a 67-59 win against the Kennesaw State Owls (1-5), to secure the team’s fourth-straight win and extend the Owls’ incredible season start to 5-1, matching the program’s best start since the 2015-16 season.
“[Our 5-1 start] is really big for the program and really big for our players, really excited for them and all our supporters,” expressed head coach Jennifer Sullivan. “I think it’s great for women’s basketball in this community. To get off to such a great start, there’s a lot of buzz and excitement around the program. We want to continue to get better and not celebrate just a 5-1 start, but keep it growing, and continue to get better in the process.”
Sofia Galeron received her first start of the season, leading the Owls with a career-high tying 17 point performance in the win. Alexa Zaph scored a team second-best 15 points, while Janeta Rozentale produced her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds on the night.
“Couldn’t be more proud of Sofia having a big night tonight,” said coach Sullivan. “Sofia has done a lot of great things for us on the defensive end, boxing out, making plays, and for her to see her shot fall tonight was exciting. I’m really happy for her and it was well deserved.”
Joiya Maddox got FAU on the board first, 3-0, knocking down a 3-pointer 19 seconds into the contest. Kennesaw State responded to take their first lead of the contest 4-3. The Owls traded field goals as back-to-back jumpers from Alexa Zaph put FAU back on top 5-4 and 7-6 at the 6:51-minute mark, but Kennesaw State outscored FAU 13-6 through the end of the first to hold a six-point advantage after the opening frame, 13-19.
Over the opening five minutes of the second, the Owls battled back, outscoring Kennesaw State 9-4, capped off by a fastbreak jumper from Jada Moore to bring the Owls back within one at 22-23. Kennesaw State responded with a 6-0 run to kick KSU’s lead back out to seven at 29-22, however three Rozentale free throws and a layup from Aniya Hubbard brought FAU’s deficit back down to two, 27-29, with 2:25 remaining in the half. Kennesaw State held a five-point advantage, 32-27, with 1:26 remaining in the quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Sofia Galeron closed out the half, closing the Owls’ deficit to just one at the break, 33-34.
Zaph opened the second half with a jumper to give the Owls their first lead since the six-minute mark of the opening quarter, 35-34. The Owls’ held Kennesaw State scoreless for the first five minutes of the third quarter, scoring 12 unanswered to take an 11-point lead at 45-34. FAU maintained an 11-point advantage through the 2:33-minute mark of the third period, but Kennesaw State closed out the quarter on a 4-0 to cut the FAU lead down to seven, 50-43, entering the final 10 minutes of play.
Kennesaw State continued its momentum into the fourth quarter, outscoring FAU 7-2 over the opening three minutes of the fourth to cut the Owls’ lead to two, 52-50. FAU responded with 10 straight points, capped off by a Rozentale layup to kick the Owls’ lead back to double-digits at 62-50 with just two minutes to play. Kennesaw State attempted to rally, but FAU’s 12-point lead proved to be too much as the Owls eventually captured the 67-59 win.
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Sofia Galeron tied her previous career-high, leading the Owls with 17 points
- Janeta Rozentale secured her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.
- Alexa Zaph posted her second double-digit scoring performance of the season, scoring a team second-best 15 points
- FAU outscored Kennesaw State in every phase, shooting 36.8 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line.
- The Owls secured a season-high 12 steals in the win
- FAU outrebounded Kennesaw State 45-41
UP NEXT
FAU returns to the court on Tuesday, Dec. 6 as the Owls host the Florida National Conquistadors for a 7 p.m. tip inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
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