BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic women’s basketball (12-17, 5-15 C-USA) battled hard but fell in a hard-fought contest against the LA Tech Lady Techsters (19-11, 12-8 C-USA) on senior day inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FAU senior Amber Gaston got things started for the Owls with a 3-pointer just 30 seconds into play. After LA Tech responded with a 3-pointer of their won the Owls scored three more off a Gaston free throw and another layup the senior. LA Tech eventually took the lead at 9-8, but another layup from Gaston pushed the Owls back in front 10-9 and Gaston being responsible for eight of the Owls’ 10 points through the first five minutes of play. Jada Moore scored back-to-back field goals at the 4:43 and 3:53-minute marks to give the Owls a 14-12 advantage. After a 5-0 LA Tech run, Alexa Zaph connected on another Owl 3-pointer to bring things even at 17-17 with a minute to play, but the Lady Techsters scored another layup to lead by two after one, 19-17.
The Lady Techsters opened the second on a 6-2 run to take a six-point advantage, 25-19. However, a layup from Aniya Hubbard and a 3-pointer from Joiya Maddox brought the Owls back within one at 25-24. LA Tech eventually regained a six-point lead, 35-29, with just under three minutes to play, before the Owls mounted a 9-2 run to retake the lead 38-37, but a pair of LA Tech free throws sent the teams into the locker room in a tight 39-38 battle.
The two teams traded a pair of 4-0 runs to open the third as they remained locked in a one-point contest through the 5:11-minute mark of the third, 43-42. The Lady Techsters went on a 6-3 run over the final five minutes of the third as LA Tech continued to maintain a slight four-point advantage, 49-45, with 10 minutes to play.
Janeta Rozentale closed the Owls within two to open the fourth, 49-47, but LA Tech responded with a 12-4 run to extend the Lady Techsters to their largest lead of the contest, 61-51, with 4:30 to play. LA Tech maintained its 10-point advantage through the 2:10-minute mark, 65-55. FAU attempted to rally over the final minutes but the Owls 5-0 scoring run just wasn’t enough as the Owls fell 65-60 to close out the regular season.
NOTES AND TEAM STATS
- Aniya Hubbard and Amber Gaston led the Owls against LA Tech, scoring 16 and 12 points, respectively.
- Hubbard shot 43 percent (6-of-14) from the field, 50 percent (2-of-4) from 3-point range, and a perfect 100 percent (2-of-2) from the free throw line. She also grabbed seven rebounds, and added a team-high three assists, a team-best three steals, and a blocked shot.
- Gaston scored 12 points, shooting 60 percent (3-of-5) from the field, 50 percent (1-of-2) from beyond the arc, and going 5-of-8 at the line. She also added a season-best four blocks and grabbed three rebounds in the contest.
- Jada Moore tied a career-best nine rebounds to lead the team.
- FAU outscored LA Tech 33-14 off points off the bench, as well as 26-22 on points in the paint, 11-10 in fast break points, as well as outshooting the Lady Techsters 35.3 percent to 22.2 percent from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
With the regular season now wrapped up, the Owls will prepare to head to Frisco, Texas to compete in the 2023 C-USA Women’s Basketball Championship at the Ford Center at The Star. The Owls will open play on Wednesday, March 8.
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