Owls Drop Overtime Game at Marshall

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (4-13, 0-6 in Conference USA) was unable to outlast Marshall (12-5, 6-1 in C-USA), dropping the game 57-44 in overtime. The game was tied at 44 at the end of regulation, but the Herd shutout the Owls in the extra period, 13-0. Saturday’s game saw 11 lead changes and 10 ties with Rita Pleskevich and Janeta Rozentale leading the Owls with 13 points, a piece.

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
1Q
Janeta Rozentale helped the Owls get started with a 3-point play and Rita Pleskevich followed with a jumper. The Owls then went 0-for-4 from the field, but Marshall was in a three-minute scoring drought of their own, as the Herd led 6-5 at the media timeout taken at the 3:18 mark. The Thundering Herd went up 9-5, but a Pleskevich jumper followed by an Allie Tylka layup tied the game at nine with under two minutes left in the first. With less than a minute left in the first, Alexa Zaph pulled the Owls ahead by three points off a deep 3-pointer. FAU led 12-9 and won the first quarter for the 11th time this season.

2Q
The Owls started out the quarter shooting 0-for-6 along with a pair of turnovers, but with the Herd’s troubles offensively as well, FAU still held onto a 12-11 lead halfway through the frame. Marshall took the lead at the charity stripe, 14-12, with 2:13 left in the half. Pleskevich scored the Owls’ first basket for FAU eight minutes into the quarter with a jumper to retie the game at 14. After the Herd retook the lead, Pleskevich tied it up once again with a jumper. The game was tied at 16, but a Marshall 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Herd a 19-16 advantage at the half. The Owls held the Herd to 15% shooting from the field in the first half.

3Q
Pleskevich continued to step up for FAU, making another jumper. Kynadi Kuykendoll then put the Owls back ahead with a 3-pointer, but that lead was short-lived, as Marshall responded with a triple of their own. FAU went through a 0-for-6 stretch from the field and Marshall led by four, 27-23, at the halfway point of the quarter. A Pleskevich jumper and an Alexa Zaph 3-pointer tied the game at 27, but Marshall responded on the other end with a contested layup. The Owls retied the game at 29 on their next possession following two Tylka free throws, but a Herd 3-pointer pulled the Herd back ahead. FAU trailed 34-32 going into the final 10 minutes of regulation.

4Q
Rozentale tied the game for the eighth time of the game with a layup. With 6:29 left in the game, the scored was still knotted up at 34. The Herd scored off a jumper for their first points of the quarter with six minutes left. Rozentale knotted the game up once again with layup after her own miss, but after two Marshall free throws, FAU found themselves down by two. On the next possession, Sofia Galeron knocked down a triple and the Owls retook the lead, 39-38, with just under four minutes to play.

With the Owls back down by two, Rozentale buried a 3-pointer, as the Owls led 42-41 with 54 seconds left. After Marshall scored a layup on the other end, Rozentale helped the Owls retake the lead once again off a driving layup with 23 seconds remaining. With Marshall looking for a chance to win the game with the shot clock off, a Herd player was fouled, which sent them to the line. The Herd made the first free throw and missed the second and Marshall was able to come up with the offensive rebound. However, after  a Herd player traveled under the basket, the Owls got the ball back with three seconds left on the clock. The Owls set up a play for Pleskevich, but the 3-point attempt was just off the mark. After regulation, the game was tied at 44 to send it into overtime.

OT
FAU did not score in overtime, while Marshall scored 13 unanswered points. The Owls dropped their eighth straight game in a 57-44 loss.

GAME NOTES

  • Pleskevich tallied her ninth double digit scoring game of the season with 13 points along with five boards
  • Rozentale earned her fourth double-double of the season following 13 points and 10 boards. She came up big in the fourth quarter with nine of her points in the frame
  • Zaph scored eight points
  • Galeron logged her sixth 10+ rebound game of the season with a career-high 12 boards

UP NEXT
FAU will be back home to face UTEP on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased here or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.

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