Owls Earn Sweep Over Roadrunners; Capture 300th Home Win

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (6-8, 4-6 Conference USA) took down UTSA (2-17, 0-14 C-USA) in dominating fashion Saturday afternoon, 79-50. FAU earned the sweep over UTSA, while four Owls notched double digits in scoring in the win. The 29-point feat marks the largest margin of victory in a C-USA game since 2018, as well as the 300th program home victory.
 HOW IT WAS DECIDED

1Q
Iggy Allen logged the Owls’ first seven points, as FAU took advantage of a UTSA scoring drought for almost three minutes. The Owls led 7-2 with 5:59 left in the first. FAU then went 0-4 from the field until Allen came up with a second-chance layup and Rita Pleskevich knocked down a jumper. The score read 15-8 with two minutes remaining in the quarter. UTSA then ended the quarter on a 7-3 run to inch closer to the Owls, 21-18, after one quarter of play.

2Q
The Roadrunners opened up the quarter on a 4-2 run, but FAU capitalized on UTSA’s five turnovers in four minutes, including Allen who converted on a layup off a steal. FAU went on an 8-0 run, forcing UTSA to take a timeout at 6:04, while the Owls led 31-22. UTSA initiated a 4-0 run after the timeout, but that momentum did not last for long. The Owls went on a 14-0 run capped off by a Sofia Galeron 3-pointer and Janeta Rozentale layup. FAU led 45-26 with 43 seconds left in the half. UTSA did not have any field goals in the final four minutes of the half, but converted on four foul shots to end the half. The Owls held a 45-30 advantage, while shooting 55 percentage and outrebounding the Roadrunners 22-13 at the half.

3Q
Allie Tylka was a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball in the third quarter, which helped FAU roll on a 14-3 run. The sophomore knocked down a 3-pointer and came up with a good pass to Allen for a layup. Tylka then stole the ball and eventually took it down the other end. She drew a foul on her basket and knocked down the free throw to convert the three-point play. The Owls’ took a 24-point lead off a Bre Beck layup, but then FAU fell into a scoring drought for over two minutes until Pleskevich nailed a jumper. FAU had a 65-43 lead after three quarters of play.

4Q
The Owls opened up the quarter on a 9-5 run, which was initiated by a Rozentale 3-pointer. The Owls then took a 31-point advantage off an Amber Gaston layup with 1:13 remaining in the game. After holding the Roadrunners to seven points on 6.7 percent shooting in the fourth quarter, the Owls clinched a 79-50 victory to earn the sweep.

 GAME NOTES

  • Allen earned her second consecutive double-double, seventh of the season on 26 points and 12 rebounds. She was the game’s leading scorer for the second consecutive game after shooting 12-15 from the field, while also logging three assists and two steals
  • Rozentale tallied 15 points and five boards along with two blocks
  • Tylka was dominant on both ends of the floor, racking up a near double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds along with a team-leading four assists and three steals
  • Galeron was the fourth Owl in double digits in scoring with 10 points
  • Gaston delivered six points, five boards and a block off the bench
  • The Owls shot 56 percent from the field, the best shooting percentage of the season. FAU also held the Roadrunners to 25 percent from the field
  • FAU outrebounded UTSA once again, 44-30
  • The Owls earned their largest margin of victory in C-USA play since the 2017-18 season when FAU defeated UTSA, 99-65
  • With the victory, the Owls have won three straight, while earning their first series sweep of C-USA play
300 win

 FROM COACH JIM
“I feel like we are improving and getting key contributions from different players,” said head coach Jim Jabir. “Our defense is getting stingier. I like our team right now. We have some tough games ahead, but I’m looking forward to it.”
 UP NEXT
FAU will hit the road to face UTEP on Friday, Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. (EST) and Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. (EST). The Owls will be back home one last time to host Southern Miss on Friday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets may be purchased here. All tickets for home games will be delivered digitally on individual mobile devices. Season tickets may be purchased through the ticket office by calling 1-800-FAU-OWLS (866-328-6957) or emailing tickets@fau.edu.
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