MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Florida Atlantic women’s basketball team fell behind early and just couldn’t fight back into the contest as the Owls (5-12, 0-6 AAC) dropped a 76-56 battle on the road against the Memphis Tigers (6-12, 2-5 AAC) on Saturday inside FedEx Forum.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls kept things within two early after a Mya Perry 3-pointer made it 6-4. However, the Owls fell into an offensive slump as the Tigers scored 16 unanswered to go up 22-4, before closing the opening period on a 6-4 run to hold a 28-8 lead after one.
Florida Atlantic traded baskets with the Tigers and eventually cut the deficit down to 18, 39-21, in the second at the 3:03-minute mark after a pair of free throws from Rose Caverly. But the Owls just couldn’t get another shot to fall before the half as the Tigers scored 11 to take a 50-21 lead into halftime.
Over the first seven minutes of the second half, the Tigers extended their lead to the largest of the contest, outscoring the Owls 13-6 to lead 63-27 after eclipsing the three-minute mark of the third. But the Owls rallied over the final three minutes to cut the deficit to 31, 67-36, entering the final period of play.
The Owls dominated the final period of play as they outscored the Tigers 20-9, but it was too little too late as Memphis eventually claimed the 76-56 win.
HEAD COACH JENNIFER SULLIVAN POSTGAME THOUGHTS
“Obviously disappointing loss. One of the few times I feel like this year I was just really disappointed with our effort. Doing things incorrectly that I know we can do well. We just talked about that we need to regroup. There is only one of two options, you can fight, or you can roll over, and this group isn’t going to roll over. We need to regroup and find ways to dig deeper and bring more to the table to compete at a high level. We will figure it out. It was just kind of across the board, rebounding, turnovers, handling press, shot selection, so we will get it figured out, regroup, and get back at it next week.”
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- The Owls were led by double-digit performances from Aniya Hubbard and Mya Perry, and by a great defensive effort from Janeta Rozentale.
- Hubbard tied a match-leading 19 points, shooting 57 percent (8-of-14) from the field, 100 percent (1-of-1) from 3-point range, and going a perfect 100 percent (2-of-2) at the line, in addition to pulling down five boards, collecting a team-high three steals, and blocking a shot.
- Perry produced a team second-best 16 points, shooting 63 percent (5-of-8) from the field, 50 percent (2-of-4) from beyond the arc, and going a perfect 100 percent (4-of-4) at the line, while also adding a pair of steals.
- Rozentale led the Owls on the glass, tying for a match-leading 12 boards, in addition to scoring seven points, dishing out a pair of assists, and blocking a shot.
- The Owls were extremely efficient at the line, outshooting the Tigers 83.3 percent to 57.1 percent from the charity stripe.
- Florida Atlantic’s best quarter was in the fourth as the Owls outscored the Tigers 20-9 in the final frame.
UP NEXT
The Owls will return to Paradise next week as they prepare to welcome the ECU Pirates for a midweek matchup on Thursday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
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