JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (2-2) fell short to North Florida (4-1) in overtime, as the Owls lost 85-79. FAU trailed for most of the ballgame, but a 20-12 advantage for the Owls in the fourth kept the team in the contest. FAU had a chance for the go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter by Rita Pleskevich, but the shot was just off the mark. Amber Gaston (25 points and 12 rebounds) and Alexa Zaph (22 points) both had career games, marking the first time since 2020 two Owls have notched a 20+ point game.
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
1Q
FAU opened up with the game’s first five points courtesy of Zaph’s two free throws and a 3-pointer. At the media timeout, FAU led 7-3. UNF tied the game up off a jumper with 3:36 left in the first, but Zaph responded with a 3-pointer to put the Owls ahead by three. Nikola Ozola then buried the Owls’ third 3-pointer of the game, but UNF tied things up once again. After one frame of play and no fouls committed by FAU, the score was tied at 13.
2Q
UNF went on a 7-0 run to go ahead 22-18 with 6:36 left in the first half. FAU then followed with their own 5-0 run, as a Pleskevich jumper put the Owls ahead, 23-22. UNF scored five unanswered points, but two Zaph free throws put the Owls within two points, 27-25, with 4:19 left. Zaph got a layup off from a great assist from Kynadi Kuykendoll with under a minute to go, but a UNF jumper put the Ospreys up by five, 35-30, at the halfway point. After one half, Zaph logged 14 of the Owls’ 30 points with FAU trailing 35-30.
3Q
The two teams opened up the second half with a back-to-back exchange of baskets, as UNF led 39-34 two minutes into the second half. Sofia Galeron made it a two-point game off a 3-pointer, but a steal and score by UNF put the Ospreys back up by four points with a 46-42 advantage at the 4:14 mark. UNF then sparked up an 8-0 run, but Galeron responded on the other end with a jumper with 1:13 left in the quarter. FAU trailed 56-46 going into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
4Q
UNF took an 11-point lead off a 3-pointer, but FAU cruised on a 6-0 run off two 3-point plays converted by Zaph and Janeta Rozentale to trail by five just three minutes into the fourth quarter. Pleskevich then nailed a 3-pointer, which was followed by two Gaston free throws. Off a Galeron steal, she delivered a layup to tie the game at 59 with 4:05 left in the game. Galeron was fouled on that basket, and although she missed the free throw, Pleskevich came up with the offensive board. After resetting, Zaph found an open Gaston under the hoop who laid the ball in. FAU took the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 61-59, with 3:48 remaining in the game. Two Gaston free throws elevated the Owls’ lead to four, but a UNF 3-pointer cut it to one. UNF would then tie the game at 64 off a 3-pointer, but FAU responded with a Pleskevich jumper, as the Owls led 66-64 with 42 seconds remaining. On the other end, UNF set tied the game back up at 66. With 13 seconds remaining in the game, FAU had the ball to set up for the game-winning bucket. Pleskevich got a good look for the go-ahead backet, but it was just off the mark, which sent the game into overtime.
OT
UNF pulled ahead by five points off a 3-pointer and two free throws with 2:50 remaining in overtime. The Owls played a clean game throughout regulation, as UNF was sent to the line for the first time of the game in overtime. Pleskevich cut the UNF lead to three points off a tough jumper, but then four unanswered points by UNF put the Ospreys up by seven points with 1:43 left. The Owls kept fighting until the end, but UNF went 14-16 from the free throw line down the stretch. FAU was outscored 19-13 in overtime, as the Ospreys edged out the Owls, 85-79.
GAME NOTES
- Gaston led the team with her second double-double of the season. She logged a career-high 25 points (9-for-11 from the charity stripe) along with 12 boards
- Zaph tallied a career-high 22 points, her first 20+ point game of her career. She added three rebounds and two assists
- Pleskevich scored her fourth consecutive double digit scoring game. She logged 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals
- Kuykendoll registered a career-high six assists with just two turnovers
- Rozentale delivered eight points and six boards, while Galeron had seven points and six rebounds
- FAU matched a season-high nine 3-pointers, while shooting an impressive 85.7 percent from the free throw line
COACH SULLY’S STATEMENTS
On the loss:
“I thought we struggled early but made a really big fight at the end of the game to take it into overtime,” said head coach Jennifer Sullivan. “I thought in the first half, we had too many turnovers that we need to clean up, but I really liked the fight from our girls going into the third and fourth quarter. I thought we did a good job defending them.”
On playing an early game:
“We practice in the morning around the same time, so honestly going into the game is not ideal, but I wasn’t overly concerned about it. We won’t use that as an excuse.”
UP NEXT
The Owls will return home for the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament, taking place from Nov. 26-27. FAU faces Tulsa on Friday at noon and Davidson on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for those games can be purchased here or by calling 1-866-FAU-OWLS.
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